A MESSAGE TO ALL SABBATARIANS 3
(REASONS WHY IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO KEEP THE SABBATH TODAY!)
Many people who believe in a modern day observation of the sabbath, claim that we all must observe the sabbath. What such lovely and genuine people have not realized is that the sabbath was not only to be remembered, they were to keep it holy. The question is what was to be done in order to keep it holy? And are such things possible today? Let me share just 3 out of the many.
1. EVERY SABBATH, THERE WAS A SACRIFICE TO BE MADE
Num. 28:9-10
9 And on the sabbath day two lambs of the first year without spot, and two tenth deals of flour for a meat offering, mingled with oil, and the drink offering thereof:
10 This is the burnt offering of every sabbath, beside the continual burnt offering, and his drink offering.
REFLECTIONS: This can only be done by a son or descendant of Aaron and upon the altar which was in Jerusalem after the temple was built. It is therefore impossible to do it because the altar is no more!
2. ONLY THE PRIEST, THE SONS OF AARON COULD PERFORM THE BURNT OFFERING
Lev. 1:5-9
5 And he shall kill the bullock before the LORD: and the priests, Aaron's sons, shall bring the blood, and sprinkle the blood round about upon the altar that is by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
6 And he shall flay the burnt offering, and cut it into his pieces.
7 And the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire upon the altar, and lay the wood in order upon the fire:
8 And the priests, Aaron's sons, shall lay the parts, the head, and the fat, in order upon the wood that is on the fire which is upon the altar:
9 But his inwards and his legs shall he wash in water: and the priest shall burn all on the altar, to be a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD.
REFLECTIONS: This makes it absolutely impossible for anyone in our world to get it done.
3. THE KOHATHITES WERE TO PREPARE THE SHOW BREAD EVERY SABBATH!
1 Chron. 9:
32 And other of their brethren, of the sons of the Kohathites, were over the shewbread, to prepare it every sabbath.
REFLECTIONS: Who is a kohathite today? The Jews themselves cannot tell who is from the descendants of Kohath. Besides the temple together with the place and table for the showbread have been destroyed. The book of Hebrews chapters 7,8,9,10 make it clear that it was the first covenant (The law of Moses) and the various items like table, show bread, Holy and Most Holy places, Ark of the covenant, Aaron’s rod etc. are no more in existence neither the Kohathites (Heb. 9:1-12).
1 Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary.
2 For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary.
3 And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all;
4 Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;
5 And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly.
6 Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God.
7 But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:
8 The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing:
9 Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience;
10 Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.
11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
Making it impossible to observe the sabbath to keeping it holy.
Thank God we don’t need to go to the temple at Jerusalem or contact the Levite priesthood before we can worship the God of Heaven. Thanks to Jesus Christ our Lord for making it possible that any man on earth wheresoever can now worship God in Spirit and in Truth! John 4:21-24
21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.
22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.
23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
However, note that one cannot worship God outside the church. The church is the house of God (Isa. 2:2-3; 1 Tim. 3:14-15). The church is the body (Eph. 1:22-23; 4:4-5). The body is of Christ, the church therefore is of Christ.
NEWSFLASH: You cannot be saved if you are Outside the church of Christ (the body of Christ). Jesus saves His Body, His church! Eph. 5:23 (cf. Acts 2:47); Col. 1:18,24
Eph. 5:23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
Col. 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
….
24 Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church.
God bless you!
A MESSAGE TO ALL SABBATARIANS 2
(WAS THE SABBATH NOT A PERPETUAL ORDINANCE?)
QUESTION: “Please what is the meaning of this passage in the Bible; Exodus 31:12-18?
ANSWER:
Please this is what the text quoted in the question says:
“12 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
13 Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you.
14 Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.
15 Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death.
16 Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.
17 It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.
18 And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.”
EXPLANATION AND ANALYSIS:
So let’s analyze it with the Bible words! Always remember the Bible is its own Best Commentary.
No. 1 - When was this statement made by God? - on mount Sinai when God first gave them the law. It was the very first time God had written a law for any group of people. Remember, they were still on their way to the promise land.
No. 2 - When God spoke those words, He was emphatically clear about those people - the People of Israel! Interestingly the passage contains 7 verses, and out of that God mentioned the phrase “children of Israel” three times and used pronouns representing them three times. So 6 times in 7 verses God emphasized that He was talking about the children of Israel. And there were other nations yet God gave it to them alone.
No. 3 - then after they have journeyed for approximately 40years, (note; when God called them together for the laws to be given, they had just left Egypt, they were in their 3rd month- Exo. 19:1), so after forty years Moses, had a general assembly meeting with them, to highlight some important points. In that meeting Moses told them the laws God gave them was for them alone and no nation was part.
Deut. 5:1-6 (cf: Psalm 147:19-20)
1 And Moses called all Israel, 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.
2 The LORD our God made a covenant with us in Horeb.
3 The LORD made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us, even us, who are all of us here alive this day.
4 The LORD talked with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire,
5 (I stood between the LORD and you at that time, to shew you the word of the LORD: for ye were afraid by reason of the fire, and went not up into the mount;) saying,
6 I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. So Moses declared that the law was for only the nation Israel.
No. 4 - Then Moses told them in that general assembly meeting that God is going to (futuristic) bring a Prophet like Moses, who, when He comes will tell them what God wants! Deut. 18:15-19. Note, they had not yet entered the land of Canaan.
No. 5. - After they entered the land, Jeremiah the prophet, told them God is going to establish a New Covenant. And when it is done, Israel will cease from being a nation before Him forever. (Jer. 31:31-36.
No. 6 - That New Covenant was established by Jesus Christ in His blood (Mat. 26:28; Luke 22:19-22)
28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. This New Covenant (Testament) was established and it being new, renders the first one which Moses was the mediator, old and obsolete according to the Bible (Heb. 8:4-13).
No. 7 - It is therefore imperative to understand that according to What God said through Moses in Deut. 18:15-19, anyone refusing to let the old one Moses mediated remain in the past but ignoring the New One which Jesus is the Mediator (Heb. 8:6; 1 Tim. 2:5), just because that person wants to keep the Sabbath or Pay&Collect Tithe or Play Instruments in their music as was the practice of the Old Covenant; the person forfeits his or her salvation through Jesus Christ and cannot have any relationship with Jesus if he continues to hold on to the Old Testament practices. Note: Thou Saith The Word of God in these passages: Gal. 5:1-6; Hebrews chapters 8, 9, 10; 2 Cor. 3, especially 2 John 9 (cf. 1 John 5:11-12).
2 John 9 Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.
1 John 5:
11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
From all these and Screening throughout the Bible, can anyone request that we Gentiles in the Dispensation of Christianity go and observe the Sabbath?? You are right, the answer is No!
In fact, the Bible categorically states that the Sabbath and the old covenant have been taken away, after Jesus nailed it on the cross! Col. 2:14-17
14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.
God Bless you!
A MESSAGE TO ALL SABBATARIANS
I have a message for all my Sabbatarian friends and Brothers! A message of love and of peace! I will follow up with an open letter. My plea is for you to read, think about it, go to bed, think about it again, meditate on the passages, think about it again and then come back to comment! I respect you so much but i love you more than the respect i have for you hence these plans to send you a message!
The Message
JESUS IS THE PROPHET MOSES SPOKE OFF, HE IS THE END OF THE LAWS OF GOD IN THE OLD TESTAMENT (Including the 4th Law in the Ten)
I know how you love the Lord God and how you have determined to do His will. However, it is not enough to desire or have the zeal for the Lord but to know Him well and His will! In Romans 10:1-4, we read this;
Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. 2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
So having the zeal and determination are not enough, we need to have the knowledge too.
MOSES SPOKE ABOUT A PROPHET EVERYMAN SHOULD OBEY
Before Moses died, he told the Sabbath keepers in the scriptures (the people of Israel) that God will raise up a prophet like him (Moses), and everyone must obey what He (the prophet) teaches. #Deut. 18:15-19
15 “The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear, 16 according to all you desired of the Lord your God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, nor let me see this great fire anymore, lest I die.’
17 “And the Lord said to me: ‘What they have spoken is good. 18 I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him. 19 And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him.
Note these:
1. That prophet is like Moses. This means he will be a covenant mediator, a giver of laws, a representative for God and for man on the flip side.
2. Every man must obey this prophet.
3. God will put His words in His mouth and He (the prophet) will say what God commands.
4. This prophet's message could be different from what Moses told the people in the Laws he gave them.
5. He (the Prophet) will come in the name of the Lord God and speak in the name (authority) of God!
JESUS CHRIST IS THE PROPHET
The Prophet is unveiled in the New Testament to be Jesus Christ! In fact all the prophets God used after Moses; starting from Samuel to Malachi spoke about Jesus! In the Book of Acts, Jesus is confirmed to be the Prophet! #Acts 3:19-26
19 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, 20 and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, 21 whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began. 22 For Moses truly said to the fathers, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you. 23 And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.’ 24 Yes, and all the prophets, from Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold these days. 25 You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ 26 To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities.”
Jesus is the Prophet and His coming brings the laws of Moses to an end! (#Rom. 10:4).
JESUS ESTABLISHED THE NEW COVENANT
Jesus came and the Lord God confirmed that everyman must hear (obey) Him!
#Mark 1:9-11
It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove. 11 Then a voice came from heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
#Matthew 17:1-6 (cf. 2 Pet. 1:17-18)
Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; 2 and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. 3 And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. 4 Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
5 While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” 6 And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid.
He established a covenant which comes with its own laws!
#Matt. 26:26-28
26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.”
27 Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
The New Covenant has it's laws written on the hearts of man and not on tablets of stones just as Jeremiah prophesied (Jer. 31:31-36) and we have hence become the New Testament (covenant) worshippers (ministers)! #2Cor. 3:2-11
2 You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; 3 clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.
4 And we have such trust through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
7 But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, 8 how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? 9 For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. 10 For even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels. 11 For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious.
WE ARE NO LONGER UNDER THE LAW OF MOSES TO OBSERVE THE SABBATH
The laws of God given by Moses is no longer binding on Christians! We are not under the commandments of circumcision which Moses gave but under the Grace and Faith in Christ!
These passages confirm so!
#Gal. 3:22-25
22 But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. 23 But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. 24 Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.
#Col. 2:11-17
11 In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. 13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, 14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.
16 So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, 17 which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.
#Heb. 8:6-13
6 But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises.
7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. 8 Because finding fault with them, He says: “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— 9 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them, says the Lord. 10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 11 None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. 12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”
13 In that He says, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.
The first covenant has been nailed on the cross! We have to obey Jesus now and not the prophets or Moses!
#Heb. 1:1-4
1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; 3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
#John 12:44-50
44 Then Jesus cried out and said, “He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me. 45 And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me. 46 I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness. 47 And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. 48 He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. 49 For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. 50 And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak.”
Jesus Christ is to be obeyed no one has to go back to the laws of Moses if you do that, you have not share in the grace of Jesus! #Gal. 5:1-6
Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. 2 Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. 3 And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. 4 You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. 5 For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.
TO BE CONTINUED ..............
I Love You All!!!
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Text: Romans 1:16-17
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”
A. Paul is right. Every course to reconcile man to God must not be ashamed of. God looks up to the Saved to make known to the world the manifold wisdom of God. We are saved to help SAVE others. God has revealed a mystery to this generation. The mystery of His sacrifice through the crucifixion of His Son. Have this faith in Jesus for He came to save you irrespective of your sins. God can only save through the gospel. It is only if you obey that He can apply His Power to save and we must not be ashamed to help others receive this Power of Salvation! Seek first the kingdom (Matt. 6:33).
B. The gospel unfortunately has been distorted in our time. Whiles we are not to lay treasures on earth, today's Preachers (called as "Pastors" by the Ignorant) have diluted the message. They have made people believe that following God means having every worldly riches. We have to think about the riches that are eternal. Money (Silver and Gold) are temporal, and your soul will leave them here. Seek what will save the soul after you are dead. Remember it is appointed. ...Heb 9:27.
C. Things might be difficult but so far as you hold on to the faith, you will live and be provided for. Your needs indeed will be supplied as long as you wait on the Lord. Phil 4:19; Isaiah 40:31. Amen!
STEPS TO SALVATION:
HEAR: Listen to the Gospel message about the Death, Burial and the Resurrection of Jesus (1 Cor 15:1-4, Luke 24:44-48).
BELIEVE: You have to Believe that indeed Jesus died for you. (John 8:24),
REPENTANCE: Repent from your sins and turn to Jesus (Acts 3:19),
CONFESSION: Confess Jesus as the Son of God (Acts 8:37), and
BE BAPTISED: Allow for Baptism (Acts 2:38, Mark 16:15), and be added you to the Church (Acts 2:47)