Sabbath Truth Summary
The Sabbath was not changed in honour of the resurrection. Scripture says the Papacy would change God’s law and History confirms this. God will not accept any day in seven demonstrated by Exodus 16:4-31, which is before Jews and the Commandments being written in stone. God blessed and made holy ONLY the seventh day and that is why we have a seven day week. God’s law of love did not become obsolete at the cross and can no more change than God’s character can. He is the same yesterday, and today, and forever. It is not a special law for one nation only. It is eternal and so was made at creation for all man before sin and Jews and ALL FLESH keep it in the New Earth. God is all knowing and the Sabbath was not made one of God’s eternal Commandments by some oversight. If it were for Israel only, God would have placed it in the ordinances which were for Israel only and ended at the cross. There is no new law in Christ based on Matthew 22:37-40. Jesus was quoting the Old Testament and He said ALL the law hang on these two commandments just as they did also in the Old Testament. Loving your neighbour as yourself means obeying the last six Commandments (Matthew 19:18-19, Romans 13:9) and to love God with all your heart means to obey the first four. The Law is LOVE. If you truly Love God, you would not have other gods before Him or worship idols and you certainly would not take His name in vain. And speaking of Loving and Worshipping God with all your heart, that is EXACTLY what the Sabbath is all about. “Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a PERPETUAL covenant. It is a SIGN between Me and the children of Israel FOREVER…” Exodus 31:16-17. All Commandments show our allegiance but the fourth is a special SIGN of loyalty that we may know we truly love and follow God as His people. We are also children of Israel from Abraham. Galatians 3:29 “And if you be Christ’s, then are you Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” We are and need to be children of Israel as both covenants were made with the house of Israel. Hebrews 8:10, “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel…says the Lord: I will put My Laws into their mind and write them in their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” See also Romans 2:28-29, Romans 9:6-8, 1 Corinthians 10:18, Galatians 6:16 and Daniel's 70 weeks prophecy.
The Bible unmistakably shows that the real test of love is obedience to God. These following scriptures are just three of many that could be quoted. John 14:15 “If ye love me, keep my Commandments.” or 1 John 2:4 “He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his Commandments, is a LIAR, and the truth is not in him.” and 1 John 5:3 “For this is the love of God, that we keep his Commandments: and his Commandments are not grievous.” This last verse says we should keep God’s Commandments because we love God so much that it is our heart’s desire to do so as Psalms 119 shows and not because we feel obligated to do so. Devoting a whole day to God should be to us a most beautiful and gratifying experience and should be our hearts desire, not something we call a burden or legalism. Jesus spoke of those who said, “Lord, Lord,” but did not do the will of the Father. Then He described many who would seek entrance to the kingdom claiming to be workers of miracles in the name of Christ. But He would sorrowfully have to say, “I never knew you: depart from me.” Matthew 7:21-23. This is terribly sad because Jesus is saying, “Not everyone who calls me ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the Kingdom of heaven.” Revelation 22:14 describes those who will live with God the Father and Christ throughout eternity in the New Jerusalem: “Blessed are those who do his Commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.”
1 John 3:4 GNB says that, “Whoever sins is guilty of breaking God’s law, because sin is a breaking of the law.” So if there were no requirement to keep God’s Commandments, then there would be no sin and if there were no sin, then Jesus did not need to die on a cross for us and therefore the Gospel would be immaterial as would be Christianity and we would be no different to anyone else in this secular world. Do you see how absolutely absurd this is? Some have twisted this the other way by saying if we still have to obey the law then Jesus died for nothing. This is a very distorted view of the Gospel. Jesus redeemed us by His blood and paid the penalty for our sins which was death. He died on the cross so by faith and Grace we can repent and go on living, not go on sinning! This is Satan’s attempt at deceiving us into believing that since we are under Grace we no longer have to keep God’s Commandments. Jesus said if you love me keep my Commandments. He did not say I died for you so you can disobey my Commandments. Paul clarifies this well in Romans 6:14-15, “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for you are not under the law, but under grace. What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.” It really is just this plain and simple. The ceremonial laws that have evidently confused so many were temporary and are gone. The Ten Commandments are Eternal and if we love God and man then we obey ALL of them FOREVER. They are NOT the Ten Suggestions and they are NOT the Nine Commandments and the One Suggestion. The Sabbath is the real test of love for God, yet never have I seen so many people twist and distort the word of God and fight so hard to justify why they can dodge this one Commandment. God is saying that He wants us to fully devote one day a week to Him because He loves us so much and people respond by searching for every excuse under the sun as to why they do not have to spend this time with God. I pray with all my heart that you are not one of them.
Isn’t it interesting that the only part of the Bible specifically written by God’s own hand, His Law, is the part so many people want to excuse away? And isn’t it interesting that the only part of that Law some say is for the Jew only, is the one Commandment that states it was for the “stranger” also? And isn’t it interesting that it is the only Commandment that specifically states it was instituted at Creation long before sin or Jews or ceremonies? And isn’t it interesting that it has not only been kept since creation but will also be kept in the new Heaven and Earth? And isn’t it interesting that the only Commandment man wants to forget is the one God specifically says to “remember?” Jesus said, “For truly I say to you, Till the heaven and the earth pass away, not one jot or one tittle shall in any way pass from the Law…” and Jesus then went on to say “…whoever shall relax one of these Commandments, the least, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the LEAST [by those] in the kingdom of Heaven. But whoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called GREAT in the kingdom of Heaven.” The thought of being called least by those in Heaven because I have not taught or have relaxed even one of God’s Commandments definitely does not appeal to me in the slightest. There are the most wonderful blessings beyond comprehension both now and in eternity for obeying God’s Commandments and especially when it is done in love for our heavenly Father and our fellow man.
