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YOU OBSERVE DAYS, MONTHS, SEASONS AND YEARS - YET IGNORE GOD'S HOLY SABBATH DAY
I am going to share something with you that you may not have seen or noticed before. In Galatians 4, the apostle Paul gives a warning to the Galatian converts to Christianity, specifically the Gentile converts. We know they are Gentile converts because of what Paul said, which I will share with you. Let's take a look at the verses in question:
Galatians 4:8-11 ...'Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods. But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.'
It is amazing how many professed Christians use verse 9 and 10 to argue against Sabbath keeping, and yet they ignore the context of what Paul was saying and don't even realize WHO Paul was speaking to. He was NOT speaking to the Jews, but the gentile converts. How do we know this? Look at what the apostle said ...
"when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods.
"Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods.' This language shows to whom Paul was writing. The members of the Galatian churches had been heathen, doing service to 'them which by nature are no gods,' and not to the God who created all things; that is, before they knew the true God' they worshiped idols." (E.J.Waggoner, Signs of the Times, Spet 18, 1884, Vol.10, No.36, p.569)
Anyone can see from the language of Paul that He is addressing those who were Gentiles (heathen) who had converted to Christianity. But what were they doing? They were going back to those 'weak and beggarly elements' ... "the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world." (Colossians 2:8). But why? There were unconverted Jews who were trying to turn the Gentile converts of Galatia into Judaism, telling them that they must be circumcised in order to be saved. Which is why we see Paul addressing this issue in Galatians. And thus this caused the gentile converts to step back into their heathen customs of observing 'days, months, seasons and years.'
As you can see, this has nothing to do with the 7th day Sabbath. It is about the Gentile converts going back to HEATHEN days, which brings me on to our current time!
What do the majority of professed Christian believers in the world do today? They ignore the one day that God set aside at creation for holy use - the 7th day weekly Sabbath, and they continue to celebrate (very religiously) man made HEATHEN days - New Years Day - Valentine's Day - Birthdays - Mother's day - Halloween - Guy Fawkes Night - Easter - Christmas - Lent, Sunday keeping, etc, etc. These are all Pagan festivals, invented by man which have no authority from the Word of God, and have been adopted into the churches and RELIGIOUSLY kept by many a professed Christian; while the one day that JEHOVAH our Creator set aside for us to 'REMEMBER' and keep holy - the 7th day Sabbath, has been forgotten, rejected and even scourned!
"This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men." (Mark 7:6-8)
Exodus 20:8-11 ...'Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.'
Matthew 5:18 ...'For verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.'
You see, the 7th day Sabbath is NOT the 'Sabbath of the Jews', it is the "Sabbath OF THE LORD." And neither was the 7th day Sabbath made for the Jews. It was "made FOR MANKIND." (Mark 2:27). The keeping of God's commandments is the "whole duty of MANKIND." (Ecclesiastes 12:13), not just the Jews. But this can ONLY be achieved through Jesus Christ by faith (Revelation 14:12).
So what is the apostle Paul also saying to professed Christians today? ... "I am afraid for you ... You have turned to the week and beggarly elements of the world ... You observe days, months, seasons and years!" It is amazing how many professed Christians actually use Galatians 4 against 7th day Sabbath keepers for being obedient to God, while they themselves are holding onto the "weak and beggarly elements" of the world, by 'religiously' keeping Pagan holidays! Sorry, but you are not following God. You are following the world.
Now I hear many a Christian scrambling to say ... "we are no longer under the law, but under grace!" ... "Paul said in Colossians 2, do not judge anyone concerning the sabbath." ... And again, context is removed and false theories arise. Please, I ask you, do not follow the false teachings of man, but seek the truth yourself with all your heart. So let us quickly deal with those two points.
Colossians 2:16-17 ... '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: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.'
What do Christians misunderstand with regards to the above verse? The CONTEXT. What is Paul speaking of? 'meat, drink, holyday [feast day], new moon, and sabbath DAYS.' Now take a look at a verse from the Old Testament:
Ezekiel 45:17 ...'And it shall be the prince's part to give burnt offerings, and meat offerings, and drink offerings, in the feasts, and in the new moons, and in the sabbaths, in all solemnities of the house of Israel: he shall prepare the sin offering, and the meat offering, and the burnt offering, and the peace offerings, to make reconciliation for the house of Israel.'
Do you see what these are? They are the 'carnal' ordinances that were imposed upon Israel that POINTED TO CHRIST to make reconciliation for the house of Israel. Did the 7th day Sabbath of the 4th commandment contain meat offerings, drink offerings or animal offerings? Did it 'make reconciliation for the house of Israel.'? No. The 7th day Sabbath is that institution that God set up at creation BEFORE sin came into the world to be an everlasting 'sign' between God and His people. The 'sabbaths' that Paul was speaking of in Colossians 2, were the 'carnal' ordinances that God set up as 'shadows' pointing to Christ.
Please Note: The 7th day Sabbath was NEVER called the 'Sabbath of the Jews.' It was always called the 'Sabbath of the Lord' (Exodus 20:10). Whereas the FEASTS were called the 'Feast of the Jews' (John 5:1, 7:2). Do you see the difference?
Paul also states in Romans 14 ... "One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike." ... Paul never mentions the Sabbath of the Lord in these verses. But simply mentions 'days.' So what days are Paul speaking of? Clearly he is speaking of non-essential days, like the Jewish feast days, which were shadows pointing to Christ. Let me give you an example from today's perspective. Many people in America keep thanksgiving each year and refrain from labour on that day, while others don't. You could say that Paul had no objection to whether you keep that day or not, and don't judge someone if they do or don't keep it. And if you read the context of Romans 14, Paul is also speaking of 'eating', which relates to the feast days of the Jews, which were the shadows that pointed to Christ. He is not speaking of the weekly Sabbath which was instituted before sin at creation and confirmed in the moral law of God - the ten commandments.
The shadows ceased when the body (Christ) appeared. The 'shadowy' dispensation is in the past. But what of the things which are not shadows? Can the day that God set aside for holy use at creation BEFORE sin be a 'shadow' like the ceremonial laws? No, there was no need of a redeemer when God first made Adam and Eve and the Sabbath. Therefore, the 7th day Sabbath could not be a shadow. The seventh day, the Sabbath of the Lord, is God's holy day, the memorial of creation, and stands in the bosom of that law of which Christ said: 'It is easier for Heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.' (Luke 16:17). It is one of those things of which David says: 'They stand fast forever and ever.' (Psalm 111:8). And it will be kept in the immortal state on the new earth. (Isaiah 66:22,23).
Romans 6:14-16 ... 'For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye 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. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?'
This is yet another verse that is stripped from it's context and misunderstood by many professed Christians today. But when you look at the context, as above, it becomes clear what being 'under the law' means. Look at what Paul connected with being under the law - 'sin having dominion over you.' That is what being under the law means - being in a state of sin and under the condemnation of the law because of sin. Put it this way. We have laws that govern the land we live in. If you break any of those laws, what happens? You come under the condemnation of the law and have to suffer the penalty. This is the same as God's law - His moral law that governs the universe and which is summed up in the ten commandments. Man broke God's moral law (yes, Adam and Eve broke the 1st commandment) and therefore came under its condemnation. But Jesus came to set us free from that condemnation, which is why we are no longer 'under' the law, but under grace. But does that mean we can now ignore the law of God and are free to break it, because we are under grace? Read what Paul said - 'GOD FORBID.'
In 1 John 3:4 we are told that 'sin is transgression of the law.' And in Ezekiel 18:20 we are told that 'the soul that sinneth, it shall die.' So if sin is transgression of God's law (which by the way is an expression of His character -love- meaning ANYTHING we do which goes against the character of God is sin) and the person who sins against God is worthy of death, then being 'under the law' clearly means to be under its condemnation. And there is only one way to escape that condemnation - faith in Jesus Christ. Christ sets us free from the condemnation, but He does NOT set us free from having to keep that law, no, He gives us grace and strength TO KEEP IT!
Romans 8:1-4 ...'There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.'
Friends, the 7th day Sabbath has never been abolished or changed. It was never the Sabbath of the Jews. It has always been 'the Sabbath of the Lord thy God' (Exodus 20:10). God calls it 'My holy day' (Isaiah 58:13). And Jesus said it was 'made for mankind' (Mark 2:27). Paul said He was 'afraid' for those who turn to worldly traditions. So what are you going to do? Keep religiously celebrating worldly days, while ignoring God's holy Sabbath? Or will you show your LOVE for God and honor the one day He set aside for you?
The final deception is coming and it is all to do with worship and God's law! Please see our pages - THE MARK OF THE BEAST IS ALL ABOUT WORSHIP! - and - WHO'S AUTHORITY WILL YOU PLACE YOURSELF UNDER?