Jewish Sabbath VS SDA Sabbath whom is right?

 UPDATED: 04-19-2011

In this amateur post. I shall attempt to show how SDA Theonomists keep Saturday Sabbath VS the TRUE Keepers of the Sabbath according to the Torah. There are some major differences that need to be noted between both beliefs systems.

Saturday Sabbath was Commanded forIsrael in the Torah:

Exodus 20:8-11 and Exodus 31:12-18.

It is only because of the visions and writings of EG White that SDA Theonomists supposedly keep the same Saturday Sabbath.

Links about the Jewish Sabbath:

Shabbat:

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/shabbat.html

Shabbat Evening Home Ritual:

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/Shabbat2.html

Special Sabbaths

By Ariel Scheib

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/specialshabbat.html

Next some examples from SDA Theonomists:

“How is the Sabbath Properly Kept?”

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“The first thing we wish to say here is that this segment is not going to be a DOs and DON’Ts list. The Jews felt that if they could define things clearly enough they could please God. In their attempts to define the keeping of the Sabbath they succeeded only in making it superficial and legalistic. The Mishnah was their result |0+| , and it is clear how foolish their perception of the Sabbath was. There are some principles we should be aware of, however, and then let the Holy Spirit deal with the specifics as they arise.”

“KEEP IT HOLY “

“The Sabbath is a holy day. Worldly attractions should not find a place in it. It is intended for the worship of God, not of man and his devices. Thus, it would seem inappropriate to visitDisneylandor some other amusement park where the things of God are far distant. Also, TV should not be watched because the programming is anything but uplifting. The point here is that we keep the mind focused upon things of God. Church services are certainly appropriate, and in fact are specifically mentioned by Paul as something not to neglect. Walks in the woods, strolls on the beach, time spent sitting by a lake or stream; all these tend to focus the mind upon the God who made them all. If the activity centers around God and leads the mind to think of Him, then you are on the right track. Remember, it is a day of worship.”

“DO NO WORK “

“Six days you shall labor and do all your work….” The Sabbath is our one opportunity to stop working. Yet we tend to go right on. We tend to think that it’s a good day to “get a few things done around the house” and so we view it as a day to work for ourselves instead of for others. The Sabbath, however, is not to be all mixed up in our own interests. Let the car wait, fix it some other time. Paint the house on Sunday.”

“On the other hand, even while we avoid “work,” the Sabbath is not the “day of stupefaction.” Many Sabbath-keepers, and we’re using that term loosely now, view the Sabbath as their day for “lay activities.” Namely, they lay around the house all day. The Sabbath is a day of rest, but, try to be active in doing good. Sometimes you may have to sleep–but if every Sabbath finds you crashed out on the sofa–there’s a problem. Christ said, “It is lawful to do good on the Sabbath day.” Take His example. Find people who need deeds of mercy done. Visit the sick. Witness and give Bible studies. In short, make your “work” others-centered instead of self-centered.”

“FREEDOM AND JOY FOR ALL “

“It is painful to see a special and beautiful Sabbath meal presented by one who spent most of the Sabbath preparing it. A simpler meal would have been better appreciated and would have allowed the hostess to enjoy her Sabbath as well. The Jews made the mistake of thinking that the Gentiles were all lost anyway, so they made the Gentiles do the Sabbath tasks that they could not lawfully do. Let’s not make “Gentile” slaves out of anybody. Plan the Sabbath so that maximum freedom and enjoyment of it are available to everyone in your sphere.”

“RE-CREATIVE ACTIVITIES “

“One final guideline will be here offered. If what you do on Sabbath takes you all day Sunday to recover from, you have missed the point. We don’t hike up the mountain to see who can get to the top first. We don’t play a Bible game to see who can get the most points and “win.” We don’t indulge in marathon singing sessions that drain us and ruin our voice for the upcoming week.”

“The Sabbath should re-create us–recreation in the truest sense! Let the Sabbath refresh and invigorate you. Choose activities which will uplift, strengthen, and encourage you. The Sabbath symbolizes God’s work in us to recreate us, save us from sin, and fully restore us to His image. Therefore, it follows that any activity that drains, weakens, or exhausts us is not fitting for the Sabbath.”

“CONCLUSIONS”

“Let the Sabbath be a day of delight, refreshment, and uplifting thoughts. Draw very close to God and He will draw very close to you.”

And of course the REAL reason SDA Theonomists keep the Sabbath.

“The Sabbath as the Seal of God”

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“Revelation is the final book of Scripture, which reveals to God’s people what they need to know in order to pass through the final crisis yet to befall this planet before Christ returns. So, any reference in Revelation that tells us about who Jesus is coming to take home, or who Jesus is coming to destroy, or who Jesus recognizes as His own, is extremely important to us.”

“In Revelation, chapter 7 and verses 2-3, we read: “And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.”

“The four angels spoken of are holding the “four winds of the earth” (vs.1), which are the winds of strife and destruction. They are waiting now, until the servants of God are sealed. You have seen the wars and you have seen the tremendous power for destruction which hangs over our heads like a sword; perhaps you have wondered what keeps things under control as crime, race wars, senseless violence, terrorist acts, etc. escalate, yet, do not reach a climax of destruction. It is the four angels. God keeps a lid on the bubbling cauldron until every case is decided for good or for evil. He will not allow things to erupt until the awful words are spoken: “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.” (Rev. 22:11) Once each person’s fate is determined, according to their deeds, the last plagues fall and the planet writhes in anguish. Yet, “A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.” (Psa. 91:7) The Lord waits until His people are sealed, then He visits destruction upon the world but His people are spared–for they are sealed. So, it is most important that we understand what this seal is and how to obtain it.”

“In Romans, chapter 4, verses 5-13, we find some momentous truths about faith and its signs or seals. The thrust of this section of Scripture is to inform us that faith in God saves us, not works–yet, there are outward signs of our faith, which are evident. Paul says in verse 9 that the blessings of faith come not only to the circumcised (the Jews), but to the uncircumcised (the Gentiles) also. However, in verse 11, Paul makes explicit his understanding of faith and works: Abraham was regarded by God as righteous even before he was circumcised–because of his faith–yet, Abraham received circumcision because it was commanded of God as an outward sign of his faith. Circumcision did not save Abraham–faith did. However, true faith also makes one obedient to all of God’s commands. (James 2:14 & 17) Thus, circumcision, which does not save at all, became “a seal of the righteousness of the faith.” And faith does save.”

“Now, we remember that circumcision was an outward sign, which is not now required of us by God. However, the “Sabbath was made for man”, not only for the Jews, as we have already seen. So, let us look at the seal aspect of the Sabbath commandment.”

“There are three things about any seal that define it as a seal. Just look at the Great Seal of the President of theUnited States. A seal must state the name, title, and jurisdiction of the one who holds the seal. We see this in our ownUnited Statesseal. The President’s name and title as President are found there, and, the jurisdiction is theUnited States of America. Thus, a seal is a badge of authority for the one who bears it.”

“In the heart of the Ten Commandments is found God’s seal. It states His name and title: He is Lord and Creator. It states the region over which the seal applies: “Heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is.” Only the fourth commandment is explicit about who is the Lord, and over what dominion He reigns. The fourth commandment is God’s badge of authority over all His creation.”

 

“Without the fourth commandment, the other nine commandments have no power to convict the grossest idolater of sin. The other nine may use the word “God” as stating who requires obedience, yet, any idolater can say, “Here is my god of wood; it is his precepts I obey.” And he could use the commandments of God to set up his idol as the “God” referred to by the commandments.”

“Some heathen people call the sun “Lord”, yet, our God claims to have created the heavens. This includes the sun, moon, and stars. Any heathen claims of a deity fall flat in the face of the Creator who includes Heaven and earth and all that is in them as His dominion. The Sabbath reminds all people who is the Creator and what is His dominion. Any other claim to “lordship” can be shown false in the light of the Sabbath.”

“Having seen how the Sabbath commandment has the attributes of a seal, we will now look at how the Sabbath can be the seal of God in us.”

 

“Isaiah 8:16 is a strong verse about sealing: “Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples.” This verse occurs within a chapter about seeking the Lord and sanctification. Thus it is fitting that we should examine this verse for clues about the final sanctification of God’s people before He comes again.”

“The Ten Commandments were often called the “Testimony”, and theArkwas called the “Arkof the Testimony” or the “Arkof the Covenant.” Clearly, God was concerned that the people should see, through Isaiah, that the law was primary in the sealing work. Job 37:7 says, “He sealeth up the hand of every man; that all men may know his work.” This sounds familiar to us as we remember that “by their fruits ye shall know them.””

“Exodus 31:13 provides another reason why the Lord asks His people to keep His Sabbath: “it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you.” Here we find that the sign or seal is applicable for as long as there are generations of Abraham’s seed that the Lord sanctifies. And we know that Abraham’s seed includes all who are saved by faith as was Abraham. (Gal. 3:7;Rom.2:28-29)”

“Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes.” (Duet. 11:18) Notice where the words of God are a sign: as a “frontlet” between the eyes–or as a “seal in the forehead.”

 

“Do you see the significance of this? It is as though the Lord has said, “My law is a seal of my authority, a sign of my right to command obedience of my subjects and to rule my government as I see best. Your keeping of my law is a sign that you have accepted me as your ruler and acknowledge me as your God.” So, we see that the law of God, and particularly the fourth commandment, establishes a contract or “covenant” between God and ourselves. This is not the “first covenant” which involved the people trying to keep the commandments in their own power as a means to salvation (Legalism). This is the “new and better covenant” which involves God writing His law on our hearts and our obeying His commandments, by His grace and power, because of love for Him and faith in the salvation He has provided (Salvation by faith).”

 

“This is why the Lord can call the Sabbath a reminder that He is the God that sanctifies us. We are sanctified by faith, not by works. God is the author and finisher of our salvation. Just as Abraham was saved by faith and then obeyed God, through faith, to seal the covenant of faith by circumcision; so we are saved by faith and obey God, through faith, to seal the covenant of faith by keeping all His commandments–including the Sabbath.”

“By keeping the Sabbath, we receive the seal of God in our foreheads because we show that we belong to God and worship only him. Only He is Creator and Sanctifier. Only He is worthy of worship. Only the Sabbath sets Him apart in His true light and states clearly who He is. Only the Sabbath requires peculiar obedience to God that is an outward and obvious sign to the whole world that the one who keeps it belongs only to God. Thus the texts about the last group of God’s people on earth make sense: “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” (Rev. 14:12) “He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.” (Rev. 21:7) “And they shall see His face; and His name shall be in their foreheads.” (Rev. 22:4) “Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.” (Rev. 22:14)”

 

“The last group of God’s people on earth, those who can stand as they see Him come in the clouds and are translated as was Enoch, all are known by God because they are sealed in their foreheads with His name and His words. And this is shown because they keep all the commandments of God–even the inconvenient one.”

“Who do you know who would deny that lying is wrong? Or that cheating is wrong? Or that committing adultery is wrong? Most people have no problem with those commandments. It is only the fourth that causes such turmoil in those who wish to serve God, yet, who want to remain popular with the world. Please be warned, love of the world is hatred against God. Many will sacrifice their souls to damnation because popularity with the world kept them from total commitment to God. And be assured: only those who are totally committed to God will be sealed by Him.”

“Terrible judgments are reserved for those who, by worship of the “beast”, “receive his mark.” The “Mark of the Beast” is discussed in footnote |0+| if you wish to examine it at this time. We can know that Satan has a counterfeit for every truth of God. So, while God has a seal, Satan has a mark.”

“Please do not misunderstand us. We are not saying that everyone who has died while keeping any day but the Sabbath is damned. Many bright lights for God, Luther, Calvin, Wesley, etc., all died as Sunday-keepers. Would God reward their faithfulness with eternal death? Oh no, God knows the true hearts of these men and that they were ignorant of His claims upon them about His Sabbath. The Sabbath is a testing truth for people in these last days. This is why it is brought forth with such significance in the book of Revelation. There will only be two classes of people when Christ comes. Those who keep all the commandments of God, through the faith of Jesus; and those who know that they should, because they have been warned, yet choose not to for whatever reason. The Sabbath was not a testing truth for Luther, but it is for all who are alive to watch the Lord return.”

“As you contemplate all that God has done to purchase your salvation, will you be motivated by love and gratitude to surrender all to Him? Will you decide to keep all His commandments? Will you allow Him to seal you to Himself with a seal that will mark you off as different from the rest of the world and even the rest of Christianity? Are you willing to be peculiar in order to be known by Him when He comes to take the overcomers home?”

http://www.sabbath-day.com/site.html

Further SDA Theonomist arguments for Sabbath keeping:

“Wasn’t the Sabbath Just For the Jews?”

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“This question often arises as a result of misunderstanding texts like the one that follows, or, sometimes as a result of hearing the assertion made in a Sunday-school class. Whatever the reason behind the question, it can be simply answered in the negative. Let us look at a commonly misused text that seems to support the concept that the Sabbath is a Jewish institution only.”

“And Moses called allIsrael, and said unto them, Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and keep, and do them. The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. The Lord made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us, even us, who are all of us here alive this day.”

“Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee.”

“And remember that thou wast a servant in thelandofEgypt, and that the Lord thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day.” (Deut. 5:1-3, 12, 15)”

“Doesn’t it look as though the Lord made a special covenant withIsraelthat included the Sabbath, which only applied to them? On further examination, this will prove false.”

“The first issue is that the covenant was not the Sabbath itself. This text is part of Moses’ reiteration to the Israelites of all that happened while they were camped at the base of Sinai. The Ten Commandments are just part of that story. And, the Sabbath is just part of the Ten Commandments. Thus, the Sabbath cannot be considered as “the covenant” that God made with the Israelites. You must either consider the whole moral law, or none of it, as the covenant.”

“The second issue is that the moral law was not “the covenant” in and of itself. The covenant thatIsraelmade with God on that occasion is far more broad and inclusive than simply the Ten Commandment law. In Exodus 19:5-6, even before the Ten Commandments were given, we read, “Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation.” Clearly there is more involved in this covenant than simply the Sabbath command. God is claiming the whole earth, through His chosen people.”

“While it is true that the ark was called the “ark of the covenant” and that the moral law was called the covenant, in fact, the law was simply a mirror by which the people could see how they were keeping the covenant. The covenant was deep and spiritual, the law a mere reflection of the covenant.”

“Just as a paper which legally defines a contract between two people can be called “the contract”, in fact, that paper is not the contract; it simply spells out what is already agreed upon. The point at which two people write up such a paper never arrives if an agreement has not already been reached. So really, the “covenant” is that level of agreement that two parties reach when they intend to work together for a common end. The paper simply provides a means by which both can examine their own, and each other’s fulfillment of that agreement. And that is exactly what happened at Sinai. The Jews agreed to do what God wanted, then He spelled it out for them.”

“A covenant has to have at least two parties in order to be ratified. If God gives commands, and no one agrees to keep them, there can be no covenant. Just so, the people entered into a covenant with God in verse 8, “And all the people answered together, and said, All that the Lord hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the Lord.” This was the first covenant between the Israelites and God. This was the “first” covenant that Paul speaks of so frequently. Why was it imperfect? Because of the nature of that covenant itself.”

“The basis of the first covenant was the Israelites’ agreement to do all that God had said. Remember, this was even before the Ten Commandments had been formally given to the children ofIsrael.”

“There had to be a basic agreement between the two parties before real specifics could be drawn up. But notice their words, “we will do.” The Israelites had every intention of “doing” the word of the Lord. They actually thought that they could “do” what the Lord expected of them. Yet, the Lord wanted the Jews to “live” His word, not just “do” it. The Jews envisioned external obedience, while the Lord envisioned a deep and spiritual heart-conversion. This is why another covenant was ultimately needed. This is why we find references like Jer. 31:31-33, which talks about a new covenant that the Lord intended to make withIsrael. This new covenant would be the Lord writing His law on their hearts, and them agreeing to have it so.”

“The first covenant was motivated by fear, and involved the people trying to obtain some external righteousness by “doing” the laws of God. The second covenant is motivated by love and gratitude toward God, and involves accepting the merits of Jesus Christ as our righteousness, and then His living that righteousness out in us through changing our hearts and deepest perspectives. So, in the first covenant, Sabbath-keeping would be “legalism”–an attempt to become righteous through “doing” the law. In the second covenant, Sabbath-keeping would be the natural result of the righteousness already gained through the merits of Jesus Christ. The first covenant was “works without faith”, which is “impossible to please Him.” The second covenant is “faith that works”, which is faith that saves and produces the fruit of obedience. The commandments are simply a mirror to show both parties how well their particular covenant arrangement is working out.”

“Now we can clearly see that to label the Sabbath commandment as being “the covenant” between the Israelites and God is a shallow, and even inaccurate, viewpoint. The first covenant involved much more than the Sabbath commandment and defined the means by which the Jews intended to keep the Sabbath–as well as all God’s other laws. The commandments merely provided a way to show that over the years the first covenant did not work–because it was motivated by fear and involved “righteousness by the works of the law.” The commandments today, under the new covenant, will show that this second covenant does work because it is motivated by love and involves “righteousness by faith.”

“Now we come to the final reason why the viewpoint that the Sabbath was a covenant only between God and the Jews cannot be correct. As we have seen, the first covenant was indeed originated with the Jews. There are many Christians, however, still living under that first covenant: “All that the Lord has said, we will do.” As we have shown, the first covenant is “righteousness by the works of the law.” However, the second covenant is also specifically for us: “Righteousness by faith.” As Paul clarifies, we can be living under either covenant at any time; it takes a choice on our part to decide which covenant, or no covenant, we will have with God. If we have no covenant, we are acknowledging no need of a relationship with God, and therefore no need of righteousness.”

 

“We who are Christians are, in fact, spiritual Jews. We are the sons and daughters of Abraham–if we are living under the “new” covenant. This “new” covenant is defined by our faith in the grace of Jesus to justify and to sanctify us.”

 

“In Galatians 3:6-8, we read about the “new” covenant: “Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.”

“Now we see God’s true covenant perspective. The Jewish religion was never supposed to be an exclusive club. God intended that all, even the heathen, should come into a covenant relationship with Him and be saved. The Jews perverted their covenant and assumed superiority to all the heathen, holding themselves aloof from them. This warped the intent of God’s efforts to save both the heathen and the Jews. With their “righteousness by works” covenant, and their feelings of superiority, God could not reach them–or through them the heathen nations.”

 

“God intends that every man should become a “child of Abraham” by exercising the same faith that Abraham exercised. And all who live by faith have entered into the “new and better” covenant: righteousness by faith.”

 

“If we have a problem with Jewish covenants, we should remember that the whole Bible is Jewish. All its writers but Luke were Jews. Jesus gave the “Sermon on the Mount” to Jews. The Great Commission was given to Jews. The first converts to Christianity were Jews. When they accepted Jesus as their Saviour, they did not cease to be Jews–they became “believing Jews” who are described as “zealous for the law.” (Acts 21:20) (This clarifies that one can be “zealous for the law” and yet, not be a “legalist,” the essence of Pauline theology!)”

 

“The reason for all this is that God has chosen to communicate His great truths to the world through the Jews. When the Jews failed in their mission and apostatized, God raised up “believing Jews” which were later called “Christians.” They did not choose the name “Christian.” They considered themselves Jews.”

 

“All through the ages, God’s people have been known by Him as “the children of Abraham.” This status is available to all the world: Jews, Gentiles, Christians, and heathen alike. God’s messages of truth have been disseminated to the world through His people: the Jews, or, “the children of Abraham.”

 

“So, the Ten Commandments are given to the whole world, just as was the “Sermon on the Mount”, through Jews. And the moral principles of that great moral law are just as applicable today as when the law was first given. True, we don’t covet each other’s cattle much any more. But we covet each other’s cars, boats, houses, etc. It is the spirit of covetousness that is condemned by the commandment. If people today were no longer guilty of the spiritual flaws that are listed in the Ten Commandments, it would be obvious that the principles of the Decalogue that condemn those flaws would be no longer needed or relevant. But that is far from true. Experience tells us that if ever there was a time when the moral guidance of the Ten Commandments was needed, such a time is today.”

“So, God gives us the Ten Commandments–through the Jews–to make all mankind into “believing Jews.” It is the covenant which people choose to make with God that allows this to happen. Some make no covenant at all, and they stand condemned by the very law they refuse to acknowledge. Some choose the first covenant of legalism and try to make themselves holy according to the law. They condemn themselves by their ignorance of the spiritual nature of the law. Thus, they congratulate themselves that they are “making it,” when in fact, they are far from the perfect righteousness that is required. Finally, a few choose the second covenant: righteousness by faith.”

 

“Then it becomes clear what the purpose of the law is, as we understand this “new” covenant relationship. As Paul says in Romans 7:7, “What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.” Paul clearly states that the law defines what sin is. The only definition given in the Bible for sin is: “Sin is the transgression of the law.” “Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions…. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.” (Gal. 3:19, 24) “

 

“If a person does not sense their need of a Savior, can they be saved? No, only as the Spirit uses the law to convict us of sin, and we sense the awful depths of our fallen natures, can we cry out like Paul, “Who will save me from this body of death?” The law serves to convict of sin. It is the transcript of God’s government. By it we can know if we are in harmony with God’s government. As we see that we are not, because we “look intently at the perfect law of liberty” as James says, we find that we need a Saviour. Then we have two choices: we can work all the harder to meet the legal standard of the law, or we can accept the righteousness of Jesus–by faith–and allow Him to work and do within us, writing that law on our hearts “that we might not sin against Him.” But notice: the law is never unnecessary. “Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.” (Rom. 7:12) “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.” (Rom. 3:20, 31)”

 

“The law is never abolished, on the contrary, it is established, for we must have it as the standard of righteousness and as the convictor of sin. Yet, once we sense our distance from the perfect righteousness which is according to the law (as it is spiritually discerned), we sense our need of a Savior. Once we choose to call on the name of Jesus, we will be saved. We are saved first from the penalty of sin. Then, as we enter into the covenant of righteousness by faith, Jesus enters into our lives and writes His law on our hearts. So, we become holy. Our past sins are forgiven and we are “set free from the law of sin and death.” The penalty of the law no longer hangs over us and we are free and empowered to keep it–not in order to be saved, but, because we are saved. Then the law serves to show us if indeed we do have faith that saves, because, as James says, “faith without works is dead.””

“So, then, the Sabbath is not the covenant; and the Sabbath was not merely a covenant between the ancient Jews and God. Instead, the Ten Commandments are the external transcript of God’s deep spiritual expectations of all His “children of Abraham”. The Sabbath Commandment is a necessary part of that transcript, as it is deeply spiritual in nature and application.”

 

“The moral law was given to the Jews. And, we are spiritual Jews if we are saved by faith. So, if we are saved by faith and are spiritual Jews, we have a law. The only choice we have is in how we will relate to this law–we cannot abolish it–we must keep it. God is sovereign, and He is right an just to expect obedience with the principles of His government. The only question for us remains: Will we obey by “works”, which ignores the spiritual nature of the law, or by “faith” which writes that spiritual nature on our hearts?”

http://www.sabbath-day.com/site.html

NOTE: IF you chose to view their website look under their ‘index’ for their various articles / posts and arguments against ‘Sunday keeping’ Christians.

Why does this matter?

In my own amateur way I have tried to show that SDA Theonomists are wrong in how they worship on the Sabbath. Sabbath was not originally for we Gentiles but for our Israeli cousins. We as Christians can keep Saturday Sabbath according to the Disciples of Christ in Romans 14:5-6 as a choice of worship day but we are not to judge each other about it.

What is my problem with SDA Theonomy and Sabbath issues?

My problems are as follows.

1 The Law of Moses was for Israel. How is it that SDA Theonomists keep only Ten of the 613 Commandments and yet IF they break those same Ten Commandments they are not killed by stoning?

2 It is my understanding that Neither God nor Jesus are offended with his Gentile Followers keeping Sunday as their day of rest and worship. 2000 years of Church history does not condemn ‘Sunday keeping’ Christians. Only SDA Theonomists Condemn us for no good Biblical reason.

3 I have studied for several years about Saturday Sabbath in the Gospels. Jesus gave no SPECIFIC COMMANDMENT to keep Saturday Sabbath for we Gentiles. Jesus taught about the Sabbath in the context of his Jewish followers.

4 EG Whites writings are in my opinion flawed. Her teachings donot coincide with Jesus teachings about morality, days of rest, future events. So why bother to consider her as a ‘prophetess’ when her writings donot measure up to Jesus.

5 By not following Theonomist philosophy and not basing my morality off of only the first Ten Commandments from the Law of Moses I am labeled “Antinomianist” or that I follow “Antinomianism”. To be a ‘true’ Antinomianist means for me to disregard ALL Laws from both Christ andMan.

In doing so whom are they following?

In previous paragraphs I have placed in bold SOME of the teachings of SDA Theonomists who consider themselves “Spiritual Jews” for keeping the first Ten of the 613 Commandments God gave to Moses and his people. But these views donot cover all those under EG Whites SDA movement.

Do you think you have covered the entirety of Adventist beliefs?

No I have not. Their Fundamental beliefs can be found here:

http://www.adventist.org/beliefs/fundamental/index.html

Although considered to be part of the Christian Orthodoxy thier constant claims of EG Whites prophetic gifts and her views on Sabbath keeping are questionable and those who are professional Theologians and Apologetic authors should reconsider SDA Theonomy, Doctrine and Theology.

In keeping the Sabbath it does not mean that SDA Theonomists are better or more moral than those of us who keep Sunday. It simply means that they are allowed to chose that day to worship the same God we “Sunday keepers” worship.