My critique of ‘rebuilding walls by observing the real sabbath’
Glenn from bigpic ministries wrote the following post.
“Rebuilding Walls By Observing The Real Sabbath”
“Jesus examples recovering a trapped animal and healing as acceptable endeavors on the Sabbath. I really think the idea is that we are not to schedule any normal work on that day. Whatever arises that needs to be done on that day is OK. We should not be doing the standard stuff, the petty needs of sustenance. This is a special catch up day where we primarily seek to Honor God. I don’t think we are prohibited from long term planning things, or even from necessary special jobs so long as the primary intent is to honor God, to do no normal work. Luke 14: 1-7. But lets take a look at this apparently contradictory passage.”
“The Appointed Festival”
“NLT Lev 23:1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. These are the LORD’s appointed festivals, which you are to proclaim as official days for holy assembly. 3 “You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of complete rest, an official day for holy assembly. It is the LORD’s Sabbath day, and it must be observed wherever you live. 4 “In addition to the Sabbath, these are the LORD’s appointed festivals, the official days for holy assembly that are to be celebrated at their proper times each year. Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread 5 “The LORD’s Passover begins at sundown on the fourteenth day of the first month. 6 On the next day, the fifteenth day of the month, you must begin celebrating the Festival of Unleavened Bread. This festival to the LORD continues for seven days, and during that time the bread you eat must be made without yeast. 7 On the first day of the festival, all the people must stop their ordinary work and observe an official day for holy assembly. 8 For seven days you must present special gifts to the LORD. On the seventh day the people must again stop all their ordinary work to observe an official day for holy assembly.” “
“A few other passages indicate absolutely no work on the Sabbath. I think the passage on rebuilding the wall is specifically meant for us today. It concentrates on what we are to do, not what we are to avoid. It says that we are to honor the Sabbath with delight with everything we do as the Lord’s holy day, not pursuing out own interests or desires and not talking idly. Standing In The Gap; Christ’s Current Assignment”
“NLT Is 58:12 Some of you will rebuild the deserted ruins of your cities. Then you will be known as a rebuilder of walls and a restorer of homes. 13 “Keep the Sabbath day holy. Don’t pursue your own interests on that day, but enjoy the Sabbath and speak of it with delight as the LORD’s holy day. Honor the Sabbath in everything you do on that day, and don’t follow your own desires or talk idly. 14 Then the LORD will be your delight. I will give you great honor and satisfy you with the inheritance I promised to your ancestor Jacob. I, the LORD, have spoken!” “
“The Lord’s Holy Day is Saturday, If we are going to have a special weekly worship service it should be on that day! That is not the only day that we can worship the Lord, but it must be our primary day. “
“There are a few scriptures that seem to indicate that Sunday is an acceptable day for our primary worship day, but nothing that is as convincing this counter argument. “
“1.The Catholic Church claims that they changed the worship day from Saturday to Sunday.”
“2.The Scriptures predict that the horn of Rome, The Catholic church will attempt to change the times of our worship festivals. [NIV Daniel 7:25 He will speak against the Most High and oppress his saints and try to change the set times and the laws.]”
“3.History shows that this actually happened!”
“http://www.godssabbathtruth.com/catholicchurchchangedsabbathsunday.html”
“I don’t believe that this error will cost anyone their salvation, but it will be a big deal for those who make heaven. “
“NLT Matt 5:18I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved. 19So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.”
“20“But I warn you—unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven!”
“So this is not a salvation issue, but God emphasizes it for a reason. I think he really wants us to get it right! The Isaiah 58 passage promises those who obey “I will give you great honor and satisfy you with the inheritance I promised to your ancestor Jacob” making them a blessing to all. Let’s simply re-claim this promise. honoring God by honoring his sabbath, and allowing him to make us a blessing to those around us.”
“Dear God,”
“Please help us to keep your sabbath day holy, to rebuild your wall of righteousness. Help us to restore your sabbath, the seventh day, as our primary day of worship, honoring you with everything we do, delighting in you, not pursuing our own interests or desires and not talking idly. In Jesus mighty name we pray, Amen.”
“Glenn”
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Here are a few things about Sabbath Saturday to consider.
#1 Saturday Sabbath is essentially a Jewish day of rest and therefore most Christians have absolutely no idea how to rest according to the laws of Moses particularly in regards to Ritual and Doctrines.
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#2 In using a theonomist argument this particular writer should be aware of the law of Moses and the knowledge that Jewish people strive to keep all 613 of the Law not merely the Ten as assumed by the SDA church.
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#3 I bothered to look into the claims of www.godssabbathtruth.com and quickly found its blog roll. All of which are part of SDA websites which means their information will be biased and swing towards the writings of EG White. This of course means that the author of this article and more will eventually swing in doctrine and theology towards the usual SDA followers.
Many Christians such as myself donot believe in the propaganda that the Catholic church changed the Sabbath to Sunday.
Examples:
“DO we disobey God when we worship on Sunday rather than on the Sabbath (Saturday)?”
http://www.rbc.org/questionsDetail.aspx?id=46170
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“Sabbath Changed to Sunday”
“by Steve Keohane”
“BibleProbe.com”
http://bibleprobe.com/sundayworship.htm
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“The Sabbath”
http://www.christian-history.org/sabbath.html
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#4 Although not a salvation issue according to the author of this post on the Sabbath according to most SDA authors is part of their salvation and it is there that I believe their teachings are unbiblical.
EXAMPLES:
“Gospel Issues in Adventism #13 The Sabbath Sunday Issue”
Paragraph examples:
“If salvation is through faith alone in Jesus Christ, what then is the real Sabbath/Sunday issue? It is only in the context of the gospel this issue makes sense. That is what I would like us to consider here. We are going to examine why Sabbath-keeping will become the seal of God when probation closes while the universal Sunday law will become the Mark of the Beast.”
“Therefore, we must never make the Sabbath/Sunday issue an issue between Sabbath-keeping Christians (US) versus Sunday-keeping Christians (THEM). Today, we may disagree as to which day is the true Sabbath, but the fact is we both are believers in Christ and, therefore, belong to God’s kingdom. Only when the Sabbath is vitally linked to salvation through faith alone in Jesus Christ and Sunday linked to salvation through human works will these two days become an issue. That is what will happen in the future.”
“Fact #3 – The Sabbath is Vitally Linked to the Gospel”
“Ever since the Fall, the Sabbath has been vitally linked to our salvation in Christ. Why is this so? Because sin has brought guilt, robbing mankind of mental and spiritual rest. When God restored the Sabbath rest to the Jewish nation, He gave it a redemption significance [Ex. 31:13, 16, 17; Deut. 5:15 (1 Cor. 10:1-11); Isa. 58:13, 14].”
“The fulfillment of this rest is Jesus Christ [Matt. 11:28]. But the Jews had missed the whole point of the Sabbath rest and gave it a very legalistic application. Therefore, the writer of Hebrews had to correct them [Heb. 4:1-10].”
“When Matt. 24:14 will finally become a reality, the human race will be polarized into only two groups — believers and unbelievers. At that time, the Sabbath will become the seal of God just as circumcision was to Abraham [Rom. 4:11]. And Sunday will become the Mark of the Beast [Rev. 14:9,10 (12:9-12; 13:4)].”
http://www.jacksequeira.org/issues13.htm
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From EG White herself:
“The Great Controversy Between Christ and Satan”
“CHAPTER 26 A Work of Reform”
“The work of Sabbath reform to be accomplished in the last days is foretold in the prophecy of Isaiah: “Thus saith the Lord, Keep ye judgment, and do justice: for My salvation is near to come, and My righteousness to be revealed. Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil.” “The sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the Lord, to serve Him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be His servants, everyone that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of My covenant; even them will I bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer.” Isaiah 56:1, 2, 6, 7. “
“These words apply in the Christian age, as shown by the context: “The Lord God which gathereth the outcasts of Israel saith, Yet will I gather others to him, beside those that are gathered unto him.” Verse 8. Here is foreshadowed the gathering in of the Gentiles by the gospel. And upon those who then honor the Sabbath, a blessing is pronounced. Thus the obligation of the fourth commandment extends past the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension of Christ, to the time when His servants should preach to all nations the message of glad tidings. “
‘452’
“The Lord commands by the same prophet: “Bind up the testimony, seal the law among My disciples.” Isaiah 8:16. The seal of God’s law is found in the fourth commandment. This only, of all the ten, brings to view both the name and the title of the Lawgiver. It declares Him to be the Creator of the heavens and the earth, and thus shows His claim to reverence and worship above all others. Aside from this precept, there is nothing in the Decalogue to show by whose authority the law is given. When the Sabbath was changed by the papal power, the seal was taken from the law. The disciples of Jesus are called upon to restore it by exalting the Sabbath of the fourth commandment to its rightful position as the Creator’s memorial and the sign of His authority.”
http://www.whiteestate.org/books/gc/gc26.html
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Does God require Gentile Christians to keep the Old Testament and the Laws of Moses? In my eighteen years of being a Christian I cannot find any specific Commandments by Jesus as a argument to keep that kind of SDA Christianity Glenn or other Theonomists like him propagate online.
My worry is that in trying to keep the Ten Commandments either as a moral or salvation issue they weaken their faith in Jesus whom is the whole reason for Christianity. There is also a question of grace that I am unsure that can be addressed by them at all.
After all if we Christians and our Jewish Forefathers were to keep the Law of Moses as either a moral, salvation or Theocratic burden then why have Christ come forth to die for mankind’s sins at all.
The only way I know for Christians to agree on this subject is to seek Jesus authority on this and many more subjects to bring closure to this long standing disagreement. If not there stands a very real danger of continued disunity and worse in the future of the Christian Church.
The_Skeptical_Christian 
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