Lecture

Notes

Questions and Answers with John Carter

Question: Answer: Forgive me for my ignorance, but who is Adams mother? Wasnt he the first person created and therefore did not have a mother? A very good observation! Adam was made from the dust of the ground, what we sometimes refer to as mother earth. So his mother was the earth and she has a weekly birthday. Tell me more about this weekly celebration? When God made man, He set aside a special day, every seventh one for man to remember Gods creative works. Notice what it says in Genesis 2:1-3: Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made. So God gave man the seventh day as a weekly day of rest which He blessed and made holy? Is this the same as the Sabbath? Thats right. In fact, in Exodus 20:8 it clearly states this: Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. Is the Sabbath not a Jewish institution? In Mark 2:27, it says the Sabbath was made for man (ie. mankind). M-A-N does not spell J-E-W. As you have noticed from above texts, the Sabbath was first given to man at Creation, not at Sinai. Why did God then institute the Sabbath? What is its significance? That is a very good question and is multi-faceted. But here are a few key reasons:

Adams Mothers Birthday

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1. The Sabbath is a reminder of Gods Creative works (Exodus 20:11). As we direct our thoughts to the created things of the universe, we see order,
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beauty, symmetry, love and our minds are drawn from the things of this world to Creator of the Universe. 2. It differentiates God from gods. In Acts 14:15 it Paul is saying to a pagan crowd: We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things [idol worship] to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them. See also Jeremiah 10:11; Acts 17:24 and 2 Kings 19:15. No other god can create - this is His identifying mark. The Sabbath commandment points to Him who made the heavens and earth, the seas and fountains of water. It tells us that when we worship God on His Sabbath, we worship the true God, the God with a capital G. 3. It is a sign that God is making us holy see Ezekiel 20:12. Holiness is linked to the presence of Christ. Moses had to remove his sandals because Gods holy presence was there. The sanctuary was holy because of Gods presence in it. Thus sanctification (the process of being made holy) cannot be done apart from God or His presence. How can we be sanctified, if we knowingly reject the day that God called holy, the day He sanctified by His presence? 4. It is the seal or mark of Gods ownership over us. Ancient royal seals had 3 characteristics on it: Name for example: King George VI Title - King Territory of Great Britain and Dominons The Sabbath is the only commandment that has all 3 elements of a seal: Name: The Lord, Title: Maker/Creator and Territory: Heaven and Earth. Exodus 20: 11 tells us why we should keep the Sabbath: For in six days the Lord made (ie. He is Maker) the heavens and the earth We keep the Sabbath because it contains the seal of the Genuine God. A seal had 2 main purposes in Bible times: It was a guarantee that something was genuine (for example, if a royal seal/stamp was placed on anything it would ensure that the contents were genuine, that it came from the king, see Esther 3:12). By keeping the Sabbath, people say that they are genuinely the Lords. It protected (those who received the seal of God were protected by Him see Ezekiel 9:1-6 and Revelation 7:1-4). By keeping the Sabbath we can be assured of Gods ultimate protection against the forces of evil. In the book of Revelation the Mark of the Beast is the opposite of the Seal of God (compare Revelation 7:1-4 with 14:9, 10). Gods end time faithful ones will receive the Seal of God because they keep all the commandments including the Sabbath (see Rev 14:12 and 12:17) while those who spurn the Sabbath will receive the Mark of the Beast.

5. The Sabbath stands for liberation from enslavement to material goods. On a Sabbath we rest from earning our bread and chasing after material goods. It tells us that our value and dignity is not dependent on our economic status. It also reminds us to seek Gods kingdom first, because in so doing, God will supply our material needs anyway. (see Matthew 6:25-34)
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6. It has therapeutic value an antidote against stress. Physical and mental rest combat the effects of stress caused by our hectic modern-day lives. The Sabbath offers us this type of rest too. 7. It is a sign of equality. On the Sabbath the servant and master sit next to each other. There are no role distinctions. True Sabbath keepers then cannot align themselves with practices that encourage inequality. 8. It places God in his proper place. One writer said: Had the Sabbath been universally kept, man's thoughts and affections would have been led to the Creator as the object of reverence and worship, and there would never have been an idolater, an atheist, or an infidel (Great Controversy, pg 438). It is because of the rejection of the true Sabbath that self has been put in the place that really belongs to God. 9. The Sabbath is also used as a symbol of rest from the futile works of unbelief see Hebrews 4. The Sabbath reminds us to rest from saving ourselves. There is nothing we can add to our salvation. 10. The Sabbath is a protest against the exploitation of people, resources, etc. The commandment says that your manservant and maidservant should also rest. (Exodus 20:10) 11. The Sabbath gives us insight into a personal God who is interested in us, a God who stopped His creative work not because He was tired, but to spend time with His creation. In no other religion except Christianity, is there an opportunity to enter into a personal relationship with God.

12. The Sabbath is the only commandment that is not really logical and therefore is the one that truly tests our loyalty to God. It makes sense not to steal or lie or kill or have other gods before God. But the command to worship God on a specific day does not really make sense. It is for this very reason that people feel a day and not the day is an acceptable offering to God. A test of our loyalty to God is found in doing things that often dont make sense to us but because God said so, we will do them. The story of Abraham offering Isaac illustrates the same point. God asked him to do something that did not make sense to him, and by Abraham obeying it, he showed his loyalty to God. Question: Wow, that is amazing evidence of the richness of the Sabbath. But which day of the week is the Sabbath? Answer: To answer that we need to go to the Bible. In Luke 23:54 24:3 it deals with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. Jesus died on the day before the Sabbath which was called Preparation Day (vs 54). The whole Christian world has been celebrating that day, without change, for over 2000 years as Good Friday. The Bible calls the day after Preparation Day, the Sabbath (see vs 54), the day on which the women rested in obedience to the commandment (vs 56). Then in Luke 24:1-3, it shows that Jesus rose on the first day of the week day, what we today still commemorate as Easter Sunday. So according to this Bible
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passage, the order is: Preparation Day (Friday), Sabbath (Saturday), First Day (Sunday). Question: Answer: I once heard that the Lords Day is a reference to Sunday. Is that true? The Bible speaks of the Lords day in Revelation 1:10 : I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day. If we compare this verse to Isaiah 58:13 and Matthew 12:8, we find that the Lords Day is the Sabbath and the Sabbath as we have proven above is on a Saturday. Check these 2 verses out: If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the LORDs holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, then you will find your joy in the LORD (Isaiah 58:13). For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath (Matthew 12:8). So then, the Lords Day is on a Saturday. But didnt God change His Commandments in honour of His resurrection? Who better to answer this question than Jesus Himself. Jesus says: Heaven and earth will disappear before the smallest letter of the Law does. (Luke 16:17). God also has something to say on this important matter: I will not break My covenant, nor change the thing that has gone out of My lips (Psalm 89:34). The Ten Commandments came from the very lips of God (see Exodus 20:1). Which day did Jesus observe? The Sabbath. And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read (Luke 4:16). Which day did the apostles keep? Where better to find the answer than in the book, Acts of the Apostles. And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures (Acts 17:2). Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. And John left them and returned to Jerusalem, but they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia. And on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down (Acts 13:13-14). From the book of Acts it is clear that Paul and the early church kept the Sabbath. Did the Gentiles also keep the Sabbath? We go back to the book of Acts which gives us the history of the early church. And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath (Acts 13:42). I have heard some say that we only need to love God and that keeping His commandments is legalism. Is that true?

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Jesus says: If you love me, keep my commandments (John 14:15). 1 John 2:3-4 further states: Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, I know Him, and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. Doesnt Paul tell us that we are not to be judged by eating, drinking and Sabbath keeping? The passage is found in Colossians 2 where Paul is making reference to the annual Jewish sabbaths (Leviticus 23:24-25; 32, 35). Some examples of these sabbaths were the Feast of Trumpets, Day of Atonement and Feast of Tabernacles. These yearly sabbaths were called your sabbaths (Leviticus 23:32), its sabbaths (2 Chronicles 36:21; Leviticus 26:34, 43) and her [Israels] sabbaths (Hosea 2:11). God however called His weekly Sabbath, my day (Exodus 31:13; Leviticus 19:3; Isaiah 56:4; Ezekiel 20:12, etc) or the Lords Day (Revelation 1:10; Mark 2:28). The annual sabbaths could fall on any day of the week. Whatever day it fell on, it was to be kept sacred and no work was done on it. The closest passages to Colossians 2 in the Old Testament are Hosea 2:11 and Ezekiel 45:17 and in both instances these sabbaths are annual. These yearly sabbaths, as well as all the ceremonial laws (ie. the laws concerning the various sacrifices which pointed forward to Jesus) and were shadows of things to come (Colossians 2:17) and were nailed to the cross (Colossians 2:14). Hebrews 10:1 tell us that that the law [of sacrifices] was a shadow of the realities found in Christ. All the annual feasts and sabbaths were part of the law of sacrifices that were done away with at the Cross. So what is Paul saying in Colossians 2:16? He is saying to the newly converted Christians who were no longer keeping the annual Jewish sabbath days and festivals because of their conversion to Christ: Dont let anyone judge you for not keeping these annual sabbaths and festivals since Jesus had come to fulfill them, and keeping them is therefore no longer necessary. From what you have mentioned, am I right by saying that there are two types of laws: One that ended at the cross and one that is eternal. Please explain this some more? Yes, you are absolutely correct. The one is called the Law of God or the Ten Commandments. The second is the Law of Moses also known as the Ceremonial Law and the Mosaic Law. Here are a some comparisons between the two: Ten Commandments Called the Law of God (Isaiah 5:24) Law of Moses Called the Law of Moses (Luke 2:22; 1 Corinthians 9:9)

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Written by God on Stone (Exodus 31:18; 32:16) Placed inside the Ark (Exodus 40:20) Points out sin (Romans 7:7; 3:20) Is not grievous (1 John 5:3) Called the Royal Law (James 2:8) Judges all men (James 2:10-12) Is spiritual (Romans 7:14) Brings blessings and peace (Proverbs 29:18; Psalm 119:165) Is perfect (Psalm 19:7) Is eternal (Matthew 5:17-19) Question: Answer:

Written by Moses in a Book (Deuteronomy 31:24; 2 Chronicles 35:12) Placed by the side of the Ark (Deuteronomy 31:26) Was added because of sin (Galatians 3:19) Was contrary to us (Colossians 2:14) Called the Law contained in ordinances (Ephesians 2:15) Judges no man (Colossians 2:14-16) Was carnal (Hebrews 7:16, KJV) Contained curses (Deuteronomy 29:20-21; Galatians 3:10) Made nothing perfect (Hebrews 7:19) Was temporary (Colossians 2:14; Hebrews 8:13)

Taken from the Ten Commandments Twice Removed, by Danny Shelton & Shelly Quinn

It all makes so much sense now. So the law that was nailed to to the Cross in Colossians 2:14 was the ceremonial law, not Gods eternal ten commandments. Thats right. God would never have nailed His eternal Ten Commandments to the Cross. If He did, then we would not have been bound to keep them since His death in AD 31. Which Bible believing Christian would say that stealing (the 8th commandment) or committing adultery (the 7th commandment) had been nailed to the Cross? Does that mean that the Christian could start stealing or committing adultery after Christs death on the Cross? Obviously not!! So the Sabbath, which is the 4th Commandment cannot be nailed to the Cross either, since it is part of Gods eternal Ten. Doesnt the Bible say that we are no longer under the law but under grace? The Bible text you are referring to is found in Romans 6:14. If you read the passage carefully you will see that Pauls point is that Christians are not under law as a means to salvation, but are under grace. He is not arguing against the Law as can be seen in the very next verse that can be paraphrased as follows: Shall we continue to break the law [see 1 John 3:4] because we are not under the law but under grace. By no means! Furthermore in Romans 3:31
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Paul says: Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law. So back to our passage in Romans 6:14. The Law cannot save a sinner, forgive sin nor provide any power to overcome. It merely reveals sin (Romans 3:20) and the sinner who seeks to be saved under law will find only condemnation and deeper enslavement to sin. But through the grace of God (Romans 3:24) however, a sinners past is forgiven and he receives divine power to walk in newness of life. When a man is under law, despite his best efforts, sin continues to have dominion over him, because the law cannot set him free from the power of sin. Under grace, however, the struggle against sin is no longer a hopeless situation, but a certain triumph. Does it really matter which day you keep? Could I not keep one day out of seven? The Bible says that God blessed the seventh day, not the first day or the third day. God is very particular about His commands. Lets say a man decides to marry a pretty lady who has 6 sisters. On the night before the wedding, her father comes to him and says: My daughter is very ill this evening and feeling extremely weak. She will not be well for the wedding tomorrow. But since I have 7 daughters altogether, just choose anyone from the other six. It doesnt really matter since they are all my daughters. Do you think the man would go for that arrangement? Certainly not!! It is not about a day, but about the Lords day. The Bible is filled with passages showing that God is very particular. We could list hundreds of these, but here are 2 quick examples: God told Adam and Eve not to eat from a particular tree (Genesis 2:16, 17) even though the tree may have looked like any other tree in the Garden. God through Moses gave particular stipulations to the Israelites concerning the manna in the wilderness (see Exodus 16). They were to collect manna daily but could not keep it over till the next morning as it would stink and become full of maggots. On the sixth day however that rule did not apply as the manna remained in tact till the Sabbath. If someone decided to collect a double portion on any other day instead of the sixth, his manna would be spoiled.

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I heard that the calendar was changed? Didnt that impact the Sabbath? Yes, there was a change but only once in the Christian Age in 1582. That change was made in order to align the calendar with the seasons. It did not impact real time, but calendar time. Ten days were taken out of the calendar and treated as non-existent. Note that the days did not change at all the date changed but not the day. So when folks went to bed on Thursday the 4th of October 1582, they woke up the next morning to Friday the 15th of October 1582. Is there proof outside of the Bible that Sabbath is on a Saturday.

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Yes there is. One such proof is from the area of languages. In over 106 languages of the world, the word for Saturday is Sabbath. Here are some examples: Sabbaton (Greek), Sabbatum (Latin), Sabado (Spanish), Sabbado (Portuguese), Samedi (French), Samstag (High German), Sabatico (Prussian), Subbota (Russian), Shabbath (Hebrew), Shamba (Hindustani), Ari-Sabtu (Malay), etc. Another proof is from the area of astronomy. Notice what James Robertson, director of the US Naval Observatory had to say in 1932: We have had occasion to investigate the results of the works of specialists in Chronology and we have never found one of them that has had the slightest doubt about the continuity of the weekly cycle since long before the Christian Era. You may say that a good case has been presented for the Sabbath, but how important is it for you today? The only definition of sin that we find in the Bible is found in the following verse: Whosoever commits sin transgresses also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law (1 John 3:4). So sin is defined as breaking Gods Law. The Bible clearly tells us the consequences of sin: For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23). So if we break Gods Law, we sin and sin results in death. Furthermore in James 2:10 it says: For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point is guilty of breaking all of it. So if we keep all nine commandments and not the Sabbath, we are guilty of breaking all the commandments. It is a matter of life and death. As Jesus disciples we should follow Him: This is, in fact, what you were called to do, because Christ also suffered for you and left an example for you to follow in his steps (1 Peter 2:21). As Christians we should gladly follow Jesus example of Sabbath-keeping.

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