The Sabbath - Answers to Difficult Questions

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14. THE SABBATH – ANSWERS TO DIFFICULT QUESTIONS DOESN ’ TTHE BIBLE SAY THAT NOBODY SHOULD JUDGE US WHETHER WE KEEP THE SABBATH OR NOT?

 Colossians 2:16-17 In this text the apostle Paul is speaking about the fact that no one should judge us in regard of food or drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or Sabbaths. The reason why: these things are shadows of Christ.

Now we need to clarify of what kind of Sabbath this text is talking about. In the Bible we find that the word Sabbath is used in three cases: 1.weekly Sabbaths, 2.yearly feasts and 3.sabbatical years for the land.

The first one is the Sabbath established at creation by God. The second ones are days that had to be lived as a day of rest (exactly as a weekly Sabbath), but were in a different weekday every year.

The Sabbaths of the yearly feasts presented in the Bible are:  1st day of Unleavened Bread 15th day - 1st Month Leviticus 23:6-7  7th day of Unleavened Bread 21st day – 1st Month Leviticus 23:8,11  Day of Pentecost 6th day – 3rd Month Leviticus 23:24-25  Feast of Trumpets 1st day – 7th Month Leviticus 23:16,21  Day of Atonement 10th day – 7th Month Leviticus 16:29-31  1st day of Feast of Tabernacles 15th day – 7th Month Leviticus 23:34-35  7th day of Feast of Tabernacles 22nd day – 7th Month Leviticus 23:36 The third ones are not referring to days but to years, yet still the word “Sabbath” is used.

Now when speaking about the different kinds of Sabbaths, God uses a different way to talk about each of them: WEEKLY SABBATHS:  SABBATH OF THE LORD: Exodus 20:10; Leviticus 23:3; Deuteronomy 5:14 6 14. The Sabbath – Menorah Mission School – 2018/2019  MY SABBATHS: Exodus 31:13-15; Isaiah 54:4; Ezekiel 20:20; Ezekiel 44:24 YEARLY FEASTS’ SABBATHS:  YOUR SABBATHS (REFERRING TO THE PEOPLE): Leviticus 23:32  HER SABBATHS (REFERRING TO ISRAEL): Hosea 2:11 SABBATICAL YEARS FOR THE LAND:  YOUR SABBATHS (REFERRING TO THE PEOPLE): Leviticus 26:35  HER SABBATHS (REFERRING TO THE LAND): Leviticus 26:34,43; 2 Chronicles 36:21  ASABBATH TO THE LORD (OR IN HONOR OF THE LORD): Leviticus 25:4 There is not one single instance in which God refers to a weekly Sabbath saying it was somebody else’s Sabbath.

 Hosea 2:11 In this text there is a list very similar to the one found in Colossians 2: feast days, new moons, Sabbaths and solemn feasts.

In this text God is speaking about the people of Israel like of an unfaithful woman, and is saying “her Sabbaths”. According to what we found out, this makes clear that this text (as the one in Colossians 2) doesn’t speak about the weekly Sabbath.

 Hebrews 9:28-10:1 The sacrificial system and all the rituals that were performed in the sanctuary were just a shadow of Christ.

They could not substitute the reality of the power provided by God for sinners to overcome their sin or the reality of the coming of Jesus to bring us back home. They were only pointing to the one who would have done that.

So, when Jesus came and offered Himself as a sacrifice in our behalf, the old sacrificial system had completed its role and function and must leave the place to the new and better one, in which Christ is both offering and priest (see Hebrews 9:11-12, Mark 15:38).

This is the reason why we are no longer obliged to keep the yearly feasts and to give an account on this behalf to others. 14. The Sabbath – Menorah Mission School – 2018/2019 7 DOESN ’ TTHE BIBLE SAY THAT IT DOESN ’ TREALLY MATTER WHICH DAY WE KEEP HOLY, BUT IT ’ SJUST AMATTER OF PERSONAL CONVICTION?

 Romans 14:5 Here the text is talking about people in Paul’s time that had a different opinion: one group was esteeming one day above another while the second group esteemed every day alike.

The text is NOT talking about the keeping of a day, but about the regard for a day. There is no clear reference about what day Paul is speaking about, so we’ll need to see from the context what this text is actually dealing with.

 Romans 14:1-6 Paul was dealing with a controversy about “doubtful things”. There was a controversy between people that imposed upon themselves different kinds of restrictions.

Here two restrictions are mentioned:

1. Eat only vegetables (avoiding meat) or eat also meat (see Romans 14:15);

2. Esteem specific days above others or not.

The message that Paul is giving here is that, in what is accepted of God (see vv. 3 and 6), we should not judge one another. This should be done considering in particular that some people are weak in the faith and we should not scandalize them in order to please ourselves (see Romans 15:1).

This may lead these people to be lost, and this is not acceptable (see Romans 14:15).

 1 Corinthians 8:7-13 Here Paul is talking about the same issue:  There were people coming from paganism for whom to eat meat offered to idols was a way to worship them (see 1 Corinthians 10:18-20). These people Paul calls weak.

 Those coming from a different background had no problems in eating meat offered to idols, because idols are nothing (see 1 Corinthians 10:19-20).

 Now this kind of behavior constituted a reason of scandal to the converts from paganism (see verse 9).

 So, in order to preserve these brothers from a stumbling block, it would be better not to eat meat at all.

 1 Corinthians 10:23-26 8 14. The Sabbath – Menorah Mission School – 2018/2019 This issue was present in Paul’s times: most of the meat sold at the marked was offered to idols. It was not a problem to eat of this meat if one had no pagan background, “for the earth is the Lord’s and all its fullness” (v. 26).

But since there were some who were actually coming from paganism, in order not to fall back, they didn’t want to risk to eat meat offered to idols. So they were just avoiding meat.

 John 6:4 (John 5:1; 7:2) It is interesting that when John wrote the gospel, he explicitly explained that there were some feasts of the Jews. This means the majority of Christians no longer kept them, since at the end of the first century a great number of gentiles had entered the church.

As there was an issue for gentiles, former pagans converted to Christianity, in regard to meat eating, in the same way there was an issue for Jews converted to Christianity, in regard of the keeping of the feasts.

The pagans wanted to reject meat eating because that reminded them of their former religion, being now seen as a form of betrayal of God, while the Jews considered the keeping of ceremonial feasts (regarding some days more than others) a form of devotion toward God.

Those who were stronger in the faith had a knowledge that would allow them to eat meat – talking about pagans (see 1 Corinthians 8:1) – and not to keep the feasts because they were accomplished in Christ – talking about Jews (see 1 Corinthians 5:7).

Those who had knowledge, though, were not allowed by their knowledge to scandalize those who were weaker than them. So to eat meat or to keep the feasts is a matter of personal conviction, but we need to take care of those who might be scandalized.

So it is clear by a deeper analysis of the text that it is not talking about Sabbath keeping.

DOES NOT THE BIBLE SAY THAT WE SHOULD NOT OBSERVE DAYS?

 Galatians 4:10 The Bible actually says that, but in the list are also mentioned months, times and years. Now we find all these things together in the ceremonial law (here follow a few examples):  Days to be observed: Exodus 12:17; Deuteronomy 16:13  Months to be observed: Deuteronomy 16:1; Ezra 3:5 (new moons)  Seasons to be observed: Numbers 28:2  Years to be observed: Leviticus 25:4 14. The Sabbath – Menorah Mission School – 2018/2019 9 This means that Paul is not here talking about the Seventh-day Sabbath, but about the ceremonial feasts that were pointing to Jesus and His ministry.

HAS NOT THE SABBATH CHANGED THROUGHOUT HISTORY?

 Exodus 31:13 The Sabbath is a sign for all generations that God is the one who sanctifies us. There are two possible ways in which the Sabbath might have been changed:

1. A change made from God;

2. A change in the calendar.

 Matthew 24:20; Isaiah 66:22-23 Jesus expected the Sabbath to be kept at the time of the destruction of Jerusalem, more than 30 years after His resurrection.

We find in the Bible that the Sabbath will also be kept by the saved, after Jesus’ second coming. So God made no changes in regard of the keeping of the Seventh-day.

 Hebrews 9:15-17 Here the new covenant is spoke of as a testament in which Jesus is the testator. As the text says, testaments are in force after men are dead.

So all the details regarding this testament – the new covenant – were to be established by Jesus BEFORE His death. For instance, He established communion right before being arrested.

So for Jesus to change the Sabbath observance (or to remove it) He would have had to change it with a clear statement BEFORE His death. But since this never happened, the Sabbath is still valid and to be kept on the Seventh-day of the week, the same day the Jews always kept it.

 Ecclesiastes 3:14 God works last forever. The calendar argument can be based on the fact that there was a change from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar in 1582 AD (first in Italy and later in other countries).

This change though was not meant to change weekdays, but only the day of the year (because the former calendar was about 11 minutes too long, and the calendar got off schedule of about 10 days).

So the days change in the city of Rome happened as follows:  Tuesday, October 2nd 1582  Wednesday, October 3rd 1582 10 14. The Sabbath – Menorah Mission School – 2018/2019  Thursday, October 4th 1582  Friday, October 15th 1582  Saturday, October 16th 1582  Sunday, October 17th 1582  Monday, October 18th 1582 Similar changes were made accordingly in other countries that adopted this new calendar. In addition to this, we have at least three big evidences that show us that the Seventh-daySabbath still corresponds to Saturday:

1. The Jews, even scattered among other nations, always had people keeping the Seventh-day Sabbath. They still keep it today on Saturday.

2. Leading astronomers in the world (like The Royal Greenwich Observatory and the Royal Naval Observatory) affirm that today’s week cycle never changed.

3. There are many languages in which Saturday has names that resemble very much the word Sabbath. For instance: Sabato (Italian), Sabado (Spanish), Sábado (Portuguese), Subbota (Russian), Shabat’i (Georgian), Sanbata (Ethiopic Oromo), Alssabt (Arabic) and many others.

SHOULDN ’ TWE KEEP SUNDAY BECAUSE IT WAS THE RESURRECTION DAY?

 1 Corinthians 15:17 Christ’s resurrection is very important, because without it our faith would be empty (see 1

Corinthians 15:14).

Even considering its importance though, the Bible does not command us to keep Sunday holy as a memorial of this event.

 Romans 6:4-6 Conversion and baptism are compared by the apostle Paul to Jesus’ experience of being crucified, buried and resurrected. So baptism is the biblical memorial of Jesus’ resurrection.

DID NOT JESUS BREAK THE SABBATH?

 Luke 13:14 Jesus was accused by the religious leaders of that time to be a Sabbath breaker. In many occasions Jesus was accused, but did He really break the Sabbath?

 Luke 13:15-17 14. The Sabbath – Menorah Mission School – 2018/2019 11 Every time Jesus had been accused of breaking the Sabbath, or any other commandment, He has been able to explain the real meaning of the commandment, showing that He didn’t break it and exposing to shame His adversaries.

 John 9:16 While there were people accusing Jesus of breaking the Sabbath, others were correctly stating that to break the Sabbath would mean to sin and no sinner could accomplish such miracles as Jesus.

So if Jesus was really in harmony with God it means that it was lawful to heal on the Sabbath day.

 Matthew 12:11-12 Jesus Himself stated that it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath day, confirming that the accusations in His regard were false.

 Hebrews 4:15 The Bible clearly states that Jesus never sinned. So this implies that He always kept the Sabbath, according to the commandment.

DID NOT THE DISCIPLES USE TO MEET ON SUNDAY?

 John 20:19 According to this text the disciples actually met on the first day of the week. But the text also tells us the reason why they were assembled: for fear of the Jews.

This text does not speak about a worship service on Sunday, but just of the fact they were hiding together on the first day.

DID NOT THE DISCIPLES USE TO BREAK BREAD TOGETHER ON SUNDAY?

 Acts 20:7 This text actually speaks about the breaking of the bread on Sunday. But was that the only occasion in which they were breaking bread together?

 Acts 2:46 The Bible tells us that they were actually breaking bread together every day. The fact that they were breaking bread on Sunday doesn’t give it a special significance over the other days.

 Acts 20:7-11 The text tells us that it was the first day, but it was night, because they were using lights. Paul started talking in the evening and continued until daybreak. 12 14. The Sabbath – Menorah Mission School – 2018/2019 He then walked from Troas to Assos in the morning after that (the distance is about 30km).

 Genesis 1:5 When God created the world, He established the day-night cycle. The first day began with darkness (night) and light (morning) followed. So the second day began at the first sunset.

This same concept of days remained with the Jews. So when in Acts of the Apostles we read that it was night and it was the first day, it actually means that Paul was preaching on what in modern days would be called Saturday evening.

This also means that Paul traveled 30 km on Sunday. This is for sure not to keep the day holy, since we should abstain from traveling on the Sabbath (see Isaiah 58:13).

DID NOT THE DISCIPLES USE TO COLLECT OFFERINGS ON SUNDAY?

 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 This text actually speaks about laying aside offerings, but it does not say that in that day they had to collect everyone’s offerings.

To help the saints in need, each one had to lay aside offerings at the beginning of the week so that they would not spend those money during the week and would have something to give on the next Sabbath.