The author of a Sabbath article sent to me by my brother does make some statements that are absolutely true. For instance, he says: “The Sabbath is still Saturday, not Sunday, and has never been changed. The Sabbath runs from Friday night at sunset to Saturday night at sunset.”
He is in error when he says, “It is well to note that every one of the Ten Commandments is included somewhere in the New Testament except the command to obey the Sabbath.” This pseudo-scholar probably thinks the King James Version of the Bible is free from error. (I could point out a dozen errors rather quickly, but I will draw your attention to one quite pertinent to this man’s assertion that the Sabbath command is not found in the New Testament. We are going to look at Hebrews 4, verse 9. I will quote that verse verbatim as found in the King James Version first: “There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.” The word “rest” in that verse is translated so from the Greek word sabbatismos. I probably don’t even have to translate that Greek word for you, do I? It is the Greek word for “sabbath,” or “sabbath rest,” and is so translated in at least sixteen other versions of the New Testament such as the New International Version, the English Standard Version and, at least, fourteen others. In the Aramaic Bible in Plain English that verse is translated thusly, “So then, it remains for the people of God TO KEEP THE SABBATH.” (You can “google” this for yourself and see what I am talking about. Just type in the KJV of Hebrews 4:9 – ten words, and then scroll down and see what I mean.
And just because a command of God is not repeated in the New Testament does not mean such commands can then be ignored. That’s a foolish idea. Read the Book of Exodus alone and place a check mark beside each command of God common sense tells you is still valid and should be kept. Then try to find those commands repeated in the New Testament. You’ll find that many such commands are found nowhere in the New Testament.
This man’s arguments are not new to me. I have heard the same arguments again and again. And I long ago proved and reproved them to be without validity and some are utterly foolish in the extreme.
Here is another foolish argument he offers: “His (God’s) plan for the Christian church allows Christians to worship on any day they choose.” Now there is a half-truth there. It is true we can worship any time and ought to worship God every day, 24/7. But if he means Christians have the capacity to make whatever day we choose holy, that’s utterly ridiculous. Only God can make something holy. No man can do so. And he made the Sabbath holy at creation. Nowhere in all the Bible does God de-sanctify the Sabbath, thereby making it a common day.
This supposed sabbath scholar cites Romans 14 as a text that supports abandoning a seventh day sabbath observance for any other day of the week when a close examination of the text reveals Paul is talking about choosing a day to fast, NOT choosing a day to make holy or a day to set aside for the worship of God. And true Christians are persuaded by scripture, not their own private reasoning as to what God allows and forbids.
He also makes the common error of stating Jesus rose from the dead on Sunday. He did not. I have written several articles about this. They are on my website. When the women arrived at the tomb before sunrise Sunday they found Him already gone. The proper question to ask is, “How long had He been gone from the tomb? An hour, six hours, twelve hours????” He came out of the tomb at the same time He was placed in the tomb – at sunset. He stated that the ONLY SIGN He would give the Jewish people He was their long awaited Messiah was that He would remain in the tomb for three days and three nights – seventy-two hours. (See Matthew 12:36-40). You can believe He fulfilled that ONLY SIGN to the letter. God help you to understand.
Christ’s Aged Servant (Galatians 1:10-12),
Donald Wiley