Everyone does not have to observe Sabbath
Seventh-Day Adventist Church insist that everyone has to observe the Sabbath, not just the Jews. The following is one of their proof texts.
Isaiah 56:1-8 “Thus saith the Lord, Keep ye judgment, and do justice: for my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed. Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil. Neither let the son of the stranger, that hath joined himself to the Lord, speak, saying, The Lord hath utterly separated me from his people: neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree. For thus saith the Lord unto the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant; Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off. Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the Lord, to serve him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant; Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people. The Lord God, which gathereth the outcasts of Israel saith, Yet will I gather others to him, beside those that are gathered unto him.”
The Seventh Day Adventists are going to claim that these Gentiles are eunuchs and strangers, are supposed to keep the Sabbath too. Dispensationalism teaches that the Gentiles will observe the Mosaic law during the millennium.
‘Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off.‘
Obviously, the above has not happened yet. There is only one time period where that can happen. It would be the millennium.
‘Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer:‘
If this applies to Gentiles today, then we should be doing our pilgrimage to Jerusalem. But God’s house of prayer doesn’t even exist in Jerusalem today. It will exist in Jerusalem during the millennium.
‘their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar‘
There are no burnt offerings and sacrifices now, but there will be during the millennium.
‘Keep ye judgment, and do justice: for my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed.’
This future context is when he brings salvation and justice to the whole world. This does not happen today or in the previous millennia.
Isaiah 66: 22-23 “For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord. And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.”
The proof text above shows that there will come a day when God will establish a new system with new heavens and a new earth where the whole world will come to worship Him. If they do not observe that, hell will open up. That obviously has not happened today or in the past millennia.
Hell is a real place
This is also a good text to show Seventh Day Adventists that hell is a real place.
Hebrews 4: 4-10 “For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works. And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest. Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief: Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.”
The simple way to debunk the above is to look at the title of the book. It’s “Hebrews” which means that it was addressed to the Jews. The second one is the time period it’s written for.
Hebrews 1:2 “Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;”
Hebrews 2:5 “For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak.”
God is saying that this will happen in the last days. And it’s the “world to come”, not the Jews at that time.
Hebrews 8:10-11 “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.”
This is a covenant that God will make with the house of Israel, not to the Gentiles. Why does this verse say that we should not tell people about God? Because in verse 11, God will rule in the world.
Exodus 31: 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.”
“throughout your generations”
It was throughout the Jewish generations.
“it is a sign between me and you”
It is a sign. The signs are for the Jews, not for Gentiles.
Exodus 31: 16-17 “Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. 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.”
“for a perpetual covenant”
This is a covenant that lasts perpetually between God and the Jews. Forever.
Gentiles do not Replace the Israelites
Seventh-Day Adventists love replacement theology because that makes us (Gentiles) replace the Israelites.
Ezekiel 20:20 “And hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am the Lord your God.”
The Jews are the ones who require signs.
1 Corinthians 1:22-24 “For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.”
Romans 14:5-6 “One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.”
The verse above shows that Christians do not care about diet and days. Every man should be persuaded in his own mind.
Galatians 4: 9-10 “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.”
Someone has turned back to beggarly and weak elements. What are they? That they observe days, months, etc.
Colossians 2:14,16 “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; 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:”
That is a proof text that Jesus Christ already nailed the Mosaic law to the cross. Don’t let anyone judge you.
Exodus 31:15 “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.”
When Seventh Day Adventists insist that we need to continue observing Sabbath, we shouldn’t pick and choose verses. If you break the Sabbath, you’re supposed to die.
They may respond that there is a difference between ceremonial law and moral law. Although it sounds logical, there is no Bible verse that shows this interpretation.
Or, they may respond to say that there is a cultural difference between that time and an old ceremony that we do not observe anymore. The way to respond is, so what’s the replacement of the death sentence in the Mosaic law?
The problem that we have to point out is that they selected verses to support their claims with bias and there is no scriptural evidence for their claims.
Where is the Bible evidence that this is an old ceremonial law?
Numbers 15: 32-36 “And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks upon the sabbath day. And they that found him gathering sticks brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all the congregation. And they put him in ward, because it was not declared what should be done to him.And the Lord said unto Moses, The man shall be surely put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp.And all the congregation brought him without the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died; as the Lord commanded Moses.”
How many of us have violated the above, they were gathering sticks during Sabbath and got put to death.
We are not even supposed to kindle a fire.
Exodus 35: 3 “Ye shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations upon the sabbath day.”
How many of the Seventh Day Adventists have turned on the heat, fire, car, or light? If there’s any of them that do any kind of work on Sabbath, then tell them that they are breaking Sabbath.
Ellen G. White taught that Seventh Day Adventists are not to polish our shoes and shave during Sabbath. This was nowhere found in the Bible.
The following is a teaching that the Seventh Day Adventist churches deny today. Ellen G White in “Great Controversy” (page 449) believes that going to Sunday service will mean that people receive the Mark of the beast, or the 666. This is clearly not the case because the beast is going to persecute the people without the mark. The Mark of the beast is something you need to use to buy and sell.
For further reading,
– Study on biblical doctrines from Beginner Discipleship
– Christian answers for a Seventh Day Adventist – Christians are led of the Spirit, not the law, Ellen G. White’s writings are not above the Bible
– Hell is a place of eternal torment
– Seventh Day Adventist denomination debunked – Ellen White’s weird beliefs, Seventh-Day Adventist doctrines are false, debunking the false teaching of lordship salvation – eternal life is once saved, always saved and not dependent on good works, on being vegetarian and drinking tea and coffee
– What is wrong with Seventh Day Adventists?– Seventh-Day Sabbath is wrong doctrine
– Why God is not a Seventh Day Adventist? – Why did Jesus and His disciples observe the Sabbath? The first church service started on Sabbath – Sunday. Why are Christians commanded to keep the law?