Monthly Archives: June 2017

Does Isaiah 66 support Sabbath?

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Isaiah 66:21-24 “And I will select some of them also to be priests and Levites,” says the LORD. As the new heavens and the new earth that I make will endure before me,” declares the LORD, “so will your name and descendants endure. From one New Moon to another and from one Sabbath to another, all mankind will come and bow down before me,” says the LORD. “And they will go out and look upon the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; their worm will not die, nor will their fire be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind.”

  1. New Moon observance in heaven?

Sabbatarian says Isaiah 66 is proof that Christians will observe Sabbath now, and in the new heaven. Does Isaiah 66 teach that Christians should observe the Sabbath?

If Isa 66:23 teaches that we will keep the Jewish Sabbath in heaven, then it also teaches we will keep the Jewish New Moon festival in heaven! “And it shall be from new moon to new moon, and from Sabbath to Sabbath, all mankind will come to bow down before Me, says the Lord” Isa 66:23.

Sabbatarians have the Jewish new moon festival observances in heaven based on the above text! If they insist on Sabbath observances based on Isaiah 66, they also need to observe new moons NOW. But most Sabbatarian’s don’t observe new moons. That’s inconsistent! Are New moons and Sabbath keeping a requirement for Christians based on the New Covenant terms? No.

Col. 2:16 ‘Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day’’

 

2) Levital Priests in the new heaven?

If Isa 66:23 teaches that we will keep the Jewish Sabbath in heaven, then it also teaches in Isa 66:21 that the Levitical priests will be in heaven, because it is also mentioned. Sabbatarians have Levitical priests in heaven (Isa 66:21)? What happened to the Levitical Priesthood under the new covenant terms? It was abolished. Priesthood changed so did the law of Moses and Sabbaths:

Heb 7:12 ‘For when the priesthood is changed, the law must be changed also’

 

3) Night and Day in heaven?

New moons require night, hence Sabbatarians have night in heaven Isa 66:23. Is there night and day in heaven? Revelation says there is no night in heaven (Rev. 21: 23; 22:5). You cannot have “new moon to new moon” or Sabbath days (even to even) without day and night!

Revelation 21: 25, ‘In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed’

 

4) Children dies in new heaven?

Is. 65:20 say child dies: What kind of heaven would it be where the child dies at 100?

Is. 65:17, 20 “”See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind…Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his years; the one who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere child; the one who fails to reach a hundred will be considered accursed.

In fact in the new heaven and earth that God speaks in Revelation, He says:

‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death‘ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed (Rev. 21:4; 27; 22:14,15).

 

Isa 66:23 and Isa 65:17 actually speaking in metaphoric terms. The new heavens and earth of Isa 65 & 66 are different from the New heavens and New earth spoken of in the New Testament. Sabbatarians see the expression “New heavens and new earth” Isa 65:17; 66:22 and assume it is post resurrection heaven. This is their primary error!

As you can see from the above, Isah 65, 66 has nothing to do with the Christian belief of the New Heaven and the New Earth. If Israel had been faithful/obedient to God those blessings of Isaiah 65-66 would have come to them. Isaiah’s prophecy applies only to Israel and not to new covenant Christians.

Weekly Sabbath was abolished, in Col 2:14-16, so no one can use Isa 66 to prove that the sabbath is for today! Even if Isa 66 was speaking of heaven (which it is not) there are some things in the church that will not be in heaven:

  • Water baptism in church, but not in heaven.
  • Marriage in church, but not in heaven (Heb. 13:4)
  • Lord’s Supper in church, but not in heaven. Lord’s supper is only until Jesus comes: 1 Corinthians 11:26 ‘For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes‘

Prophecies describe a worship of God that includes the Sabbath, Circumcision, Sacrifices (Isaiah 66:23; Ezekiel 44:24). Does this show that the Sabbath is a permanent aspect of God’s law?

The prophets described an ideal time in which all peoples worshipped God. To effectively convey this concept to an old covenant nation, the prophets described old covenant forms of worship, including new moon observances (Isaiah 66:23; Ezekiel 46:3) and sacrifices in the temple (Zechariah 14:20-21; Ezekiel 20:40; 45:17; 46:4). They also describe discrimination against uncircumcised peoples (Ezekiel 44:9; Isaiah 52:1-2) and avoidance of ritual uncleanness (Ezekiel 44:25-27). But neither circumcision nor sacrifices, or Sabbaths are religious requirements in this age or in heaven. Besides, another prophecy indicates that the day-night cycle will cease (Revelation 21:25), implying that there will be no more Sabbaths.

Prophecies, based on symbolic passages (whether New Testament or Old Testament, whether about Sabbaths or sacrifices or circumcision) are not a reliable source of proof regarding Christian practice. Our doctrines must be based on scriptures that are applicable to the age we live in, and the teachings of Jesus and the apostles, who explained the shadows and rituals of the old testament, whether they apply to us or not! 

What Law Are Christians Under?

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When God speaks, is it not sin to disobey? Surely it is.

Paul says: “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son.” Heb. 1:1,2. 

This says that God hath spoken to men in various ways at different times. No matter in what way God’s will was expressed, it would have been sin to disobey.

“If the law of Sinai is gone, then there is no law, no sin,” say Adventists. Indeed, then it is impossible for God to reveal his will to men, except in those exact words, letter for letter! Who believes such an absurdity?

The whole controversy is reduced to simply this:

Has God in the New Testament, plainly and fully revealed his will to men and told them what is right and what is wrong?

Is the will of God revealed through his Son in the New Testament higher authority than the Old Testament, or is it not? Are the teachings of the New Testament to be modified to harmonize with the letter of the law in the Old Testament, or are the precepts of the Old Testament to be modified to harmonize with the gospel? The latter, certainly.

But the gospel nowhere enjoins the seventh day.

Then is not the word of the Lord Jesus Christ law? Could there be any higher law? Said Jesus, “I and my Father are one,” John 10:30, and “All men should honor the Son even as they honor the Father.” John 5:23. Then the words of Christ are to be honored as highly as the words of God. They are law the same as God’s words are.

God promised to raise up Christ and put his words in his mouth, and he should speak as God commanded him, Deut. 18:18. Jesus said his Father sent him and commanded him what to say, John 12:49,50. “The word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him at the last day,” verse 48.

Then we shall be judged by the teachings of Christ, not by the old law.

Christians will be judged by the gospel. “In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.” Rom. 2:16. 

God said, “Hear ye him,” Matt. 17:5. All authority in heaven and in earth is given to him, Matt. 28:18. “He taught them as one having authority,” Matt. 7:29.

He has a law, Gal. 6:2. “Fulfill the law of Christ.” “The isles shall wait for his law.” Isa. 42:4.

We are under his law, 1 Cor. 9:21. “Under law of Christ,” 

The grandest summary of moral and religious truth the world ever heard was the sermon on the Mount, Matt. 5-7. It is as much superior to the decalogue as gospel is superior to Judaism. Here Christ forbids murder, verses 21, 22; adultery, verses 27, 28; swearing, verse 34; hypocrisy, 6:1-5; covetousness, 6:19-34; and every wrong act, 7:12. Would it not be sin to disobey the precepts of Christ?

Jesus gave commandments to his disciples, Acts, 1:2, and commanded them to teach them to all nations. Matt. 28:18-20.

We are to keep his commandments. John 14:15,21; 15:10. Then would it not be sin to break them? Who dare deny it?

“Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God,” Eph. 1:1, said, “Put away lying,” “sin not,” and “steal no more,” Eph. 4:25-28, and, “The things I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.” 1 Cor. 14:37.

And yet Adventists will say, that if the old law is gone, there are no commandments against lying, stealing, etc. We know better, as the above teaches.

Indeed Paul says, “I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you,” “for I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.” Acts 20:20, 27.

Every sin of which the human heart is guilty, is plainly forbidden in the New Testament over and over by the authority of Christ and his apostles, as all know. Yet nothing condemns sin but the decalogue!

The spirit of the Mosaic law, every moral principle in it, is reiterated over and over in the gospel, with all the authority of the Son of God. Not a Christian duty can be named which is not taught in the New Testament. Not a single thing is forbidden by the Old Testament which it would be wrong for a Christian to do, which is not also forbidden in the New, in some form. Excepting the Sabbath, the other nine commandments PLUS many more moral commands are in the New Testament, either in the same words or in substance.

Then is the Old Testament to be thrown away? God forbid. It should be received as the inspired word of God, a mine of precious truth; but it must be studied in the light of the New Testament, and modified by it. Nothing should be required of Christians simply because it is found in the law of the Old Testament. To bind our consciences, it must be required by the New Testament.

Here the seventh day fails entirely, for there is no requirement in all the New Testament to keep it; but its abrogation is plainly taught. 

“The Commandments Of God” In The New Testament

Seventh-Day Adventists have much to say about “the commandments of God,” Rev. 14:12, and claim that these are the ten commandments. With them “the commandments” always means just the decalogue, nothing more. Wherever they find this term they thus apply it. But such a position is wholly erroneous. There are over 800 texts where the phrase, “the commandments,” in its various forms is used. If one carefully examines every one of themm they will find that it is a general term for all the requirements of the Bible. Let the reader examine the following texts:

Lev. 22 refers wholly to the duties of the priests and the offering of sacrifices. What the Lord commanded about these he calls his “commandments.” Verse 31. 

In Deut. 11:27,28, what Moses commanded is called “the commandments of God.” In Deut. 26:12,13, the term is used of the law of tithing. In Deut. 28:1, it is applied to all that Moses commanded them. With a concordance, any person can readily find hundreds of cases where this term means something more than the decalogue.

When Jesus was questioned about the law he named as the greatest “commandments,” two entirely outside of the ten. See Matt. 22:35-40.

So the precepts of Christ and His apostles are often called commandments. Jesus says: “The Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment what I should say.” John 12:49. If God gave Christ commandments, and He gave them to His church, would they not be the commandments of God? Certainly.

The old dispensation was passing away, and the Lord was proclaiming the commandments of God for the new dispensation, the gospel. So in the great commission He said, “Teach them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.” Matt. 28:20.

Again Jesus said, John 14:15,21, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me; and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.” How can we, in the face of these plain texts, say that Jesus gave no commandments? Who is it that loves Christ? He that keeps his commandments. This is what it is in the New Testament to be a commandment keeper.

If, then, we do what Jesus commands us, is not that enough? And shall we not be safe and sure of his love and the love of his Father?

But where did Jesus ever command to keep the seventh day? Nowhere.

So Luke says he was taken up,

“after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen.” Acts 1:2.

If Jesus gave commandments through the Holy Ghost, would they not be the commandments of God? Are not these equal to those given through Moses? Now hear Paul as to what are the commandments in the gospel:

“If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.” I Cor. 14:37.

Then all Paul’s writings are “the commandments of God.”

And the Apostle says, Let those who are spiritual acknowledge it. 

Will our Seventh-day brethren acknowledge it? They may see a new meaning in “the commandments of God,” Rev. 14:12, if they will. Again Paul says, “For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus,” 1 Thess. 4:2. Then the Apostles did give commandments by the authority of the Lord Jesus. Peter bears a similar testimony.

2 Peter 3:2. “That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets and of the commandments of us the apostles of the Lord and Savior.” 

*Entole*, the Greek word for commandment, occurs in the New Testament, in its singular and plural forms, sixty-eight times. In not a single case is it certain that it means all the ten and nothing more.

There is not a hint that it means the decalogue in any one of the three passages where it occurs in Revelation.

To claim that it does is to assume without evidence the very point to be proved. John, who wrote the book of Revelation, also wrote the gospel of John and the three epistles of John. He uses the word “commandments,” plural and singular, twenty-eight times, and in not a single case does it refer to the ten commandments; but in nearly every case, if not in all, it refers to the commandments of Jesus. See John 14:15,21; 15:10; 1 John 2:1-5; 3:22-24; 4:21; 5:1-3. And naturally we would suppose that he means the same thing by commandments in Rev. 14:12.

As Christ is our “Lord and Master,” John 13:13, the “Head” of the church, Eph. 1:22; “All and in all,” Col. 3:11; having “all power in heaven and in earth,” Matt. 28:18; and is to judge the world, John 5:22; at his judgment seat, Rom. 14:10; how reasonable that he should give the laws to that church through the apostles. This is just what he did do, Matt. 28:18-20; Acts 1:1,2.

If any one will obey the teachings of Christ he need not fear about his obedience.

 

Adapted: What law Christians are under by Dudley Marvin.

Christ did not come to abolish the law?

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Matt. 5:17-19 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Adventists and others confidently boasts: This law is the Decalogue (Ten Commandments). Jesus says that every jot and tittle of it will stand till heaven and earth pass away. This shows that this law is unchangeable and still binding. The Sabbath is a part of it and therefore the seventh day must still be kept.

Seventh-Day Adventists, and others consider this the strongest text in the New Testament for the law. They are constantly quoting it. If this fails, they have no stronger fort. It teaches no such thing as they claim. 

 

The Law (Torah) and prophets in Matt 5:17-19 is not the ten commandments but the entire Law (in the books of Moses) and prophets (prophetic books like Isaiah, Jeremiah etc).

The Law on books of Moses has 613 laws including the ten commandments  if one were to count. So, if what SDA’s are saying is right, we have to keep all the 613 laws (that included circumcision, feast days, cleansing laws, sacrifices) because Jesus apparently is saying all the law (Torah) is binding, and have authority over us. 

Seventh-Day Adventists themselves admit that Jesus fulfilled and ended what they called the ceremonial law. He abolished it at the cross. Well, did he come to destroy that law? Certainly not, and yet he did it away. So, then, it is one thing to destroy a law, and quite another to bring it to a close by fulfilling it. Jesus says he came to fulfill the law and the prophets. 

The text does not say that every jot and tittle of the law will stand till heaven and earth pass away (if that is so, then SDA’s are wrong to teach the ceremonial law passed away); but it does say that it will not pass away until it is all fulfilled. This teaches that it would all be fulfilled and pass away sometime. The idea is that sooner would heaven and earth pass away than one letter of the law would fail of being fulfilled. Luke’s words make this matter very clear.

“It is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail,” Luke 16:17. 

Here we cannot mistake the meaning; the idea is not the length of time the law is to last, but the certainty that it will not fail to be fulfilled. 

For ‘fulfilled’, the Greek word is PLAROSAI and is defined by Greenfield, among other things, “To fulfill, to complete; to bring to a close, end, finish, complete.”

So Jesus did not come to destroy the law, but to finish it: “Heaven and earth shall sooner perish than one iota or one tittle of the law shall perish without attaining its end.” That is the idea exactly. 

After his resurrection Jesus said:

“These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the LAW OF MOSES, and in the PROPHETS, and the psalms, concerning me. Luke 24:44.

Did you notice? The Law and the Prophets that Matt. 5:17-19 and Jesus said He came not to abolish is the Law of Moses.  So are Adventist telling us that we must keep the law of Moses when they themselves teach that it is abolished? 

And then Paul says: “And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree.” Acts 13:29.

So it was all fulfilled at the cross. NOW IT CAN PASS AWAY! Hence Paul says “Christ is the end of the law.” Rom. 10:4.

“TILL ALL BE FULFILLED,” ended when Jesus said, “IT IS FINISHED!” (John 19:30). Until that time, if someone broke what they considered to be the least important requirement in all the law of Moses and the Prophets and taught others to break them they would be WRONG for doing so. Up until Christ fulfilled the Law and the Prophets at the cross, it was RIGHT to obey all 613 commands in the Law and the Prophets.

When Jesus said, “I have not come to abolish the Law (first five books of Moses) or the Prophets (writings of Isaiah, Daniel etc),” he did not mean that each specific law IN THE OLD TESTAMENT would stay exactly the same. Matthew 5:17 is not a “proof” of any particular law is valid, because the verse does not tell us which specific laws are still valid or which have been changed or set aside.
So Mathew 5:17-17 does say that the LAW will not pass away until it is all fulfilled. Hence, it teaches that it would all be fulfilled and pass away sometime. 

 

Did the law of Moses pass away?
Ephesians 2:15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even THE LAW of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace
What did the Ordinances include? Ordinances or statutes in the law of Moses included both moral commands that forbidded worshiping idols, and ceremonial Sabbath command of the old testament:
Ezekiel 20:18-20 Then I said to their children in the wilderness: Don’t follow the statutes of your fathers, defile yourselves with their idols, or keep their ordinances. 19 I am Yahweh your God. Follow My statutes, keep My ordinances, and practice them. 20 Keep My Sabbaths holy, and they will be a sign between Me and you, so you may know that I am Yahweh your God.
Yes, the ordinances that were abolished included the Sabbath.
“But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones (ten commandments), was glorious, ….how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? For if what is passing away [Ten Commandments] was glorious, what remains is much more glorious” (2 Corinthians 3:7-11, NKJV).
2 Corinthians 3:6-11 says, four times that the Ten Commandments are passing away, it is the same Greek word (#2673) for abolished that Eph. 2:15 uses.

 

Christians now don’t go to this abolished old covenant which is the law of Moses or to Ten Commandments to know if it is wrong to worship idols and whether one should observe the Sabbath, instead they go to the New Covenant law of Christ, and the teachings of the apostles, as Jesus has ushered in a new covenant, which restates the moral obligation of not worshipping idols (1 Cor. 10:7), but abolishes the requirement to observe the ritual Sabbath day (Col. 2: 16, 17), among many other rituals.

Christians are not under authority of the law of Moses, but they are also not without the law of God. Instead, they are now under the law and teachings of Christ and the apostles, where God commands and restates 1000’s of morals laws and a few rituals (like Baptism, Lord’s supper), but never the Sabbath, and other ritual laws like circumcision, dietary laws, sacrifices etc. They all ceased! They have been declared obsolete!)

1 Corinthians 9:19-23 To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law [of Moses], as under the Law [of Moses] though not being myself under the Law [of Moses], so that I might win those who are under the Law [of Moses]; to those who are without law [of Moses – that would be Gentiles], as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law [of Moses – that is the Gentiles].
Adapted: From an article by Dudley Marvin (Retrieved from: Forty-Seven Prominent Texts used by Sabbatarians Examined)