WORLDWIDE NEWS, JANUARY 10th, 1995
MORE
FROM TKACH:
1. We see New Testament examples of Sabbath keeping, but we don't
see commands like the Old Testament had: Do not gather food, do
not carry a burden, do not travel out of the city, etc.
2. The conservatives should not condemn the actions of others,
and the liberals shouldn't despise the rule-keepers. We should
welcome each other based on faith in Jesus Christ.
The point is that we should not be sitting in judgment of how
others observe the Sabbath.
Some will be extra careful to be home by sundown, while others
will not. Some will work on the Sabbath because they have an
ox in the ditch, while others will not view their situation as an
ox in the ditch.
It is not for us to determine for others whether their situation
is an ox in the ditch. It is for each person to determine for
himself or herself.
3. There is nothing in the new covenant that says we are required
to keep the Sabbath according to the rules of the old covenant In
the New Testament, we see examples of people keeping the Sabbath,
and we see statements that tell us the Sabbath is a shadow
pointing to the reality, who is Christ.
That doesn't mean that the Sabbath is done away, but it means the
Sabbath is fulfilled in Christ. It means Christ is more important
than the Sabbath. It means the Sabbath rest for Christians in
Hebrews 4 is the new life in Christ, not just a day of the week.
And Paul tells us in Romans 14 that we should not be involved in
disputes over days.
It is wrong-headed to think that achieving an accurate and
balanced understanding of this issue is watering down the truth.
4. It is not the Sabbath itself that is changed, but the precise
way this holy time is to be observed. It is holy, of course, in
that we dedicate it to God, not in the sense that it is binding
on Christians. The Sabbath has been fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
5. It's true that the Sabbath is not commanded as part of the
new covenant in the way it was under the old covenant. Not
keeping it doesn't make them any less Christian, as I've
tried to make plain.
6. But it is not a yoke of bondage around our necks. And God
does not expect Christians to go into a poverty cycle to keep it.
7. We are saved by faith, not by rules, and certainly not by
judging one another.
WORLDWIDE NEWS, JANUARY 24th, 1995
8. Colossians 2:16-17 tells us that the reality, or substance,
is Christ, and now that he has ncome, now that we have the
reality and have entered into it, there is no more requirement
for the physical figure, just as there is no more need for the
physical sacrifices.
MY COMMENT:
I have pointed Tkach's comments, and I will answer them
in turn.
Take the time to look up all the verses in the first FIVE
books of the Bible concerning the Sabbath. These books
contain the laws of God. Use Strong's Concordance for your
study. As I have said before, you will find very little
in the way of specific commands for Sabbath keeping. I
have commented on the law in Exodus 16 about gathering
food on the Sabbath, a law that ended when Israel entered
the promised land under Joshua.
See if you can find in those five books of Moses any
law about "carrying a burden't or "travelling out of the
city." Those laws are not there! What was written
later by others concerning such practices as Israel or
Judah had laid upon themselves for Sabbath keeping, has
nothing directly to do with any law given by God in the
five books of Moses.
By the time Jesus came in the flesh, the Jews (scribes
and Pharisees) had 600 laws for what THEY considered
correct Sabbath keeping. Most of these Jesus said
were man made and He cast them aside. The verses on
Sabbath observance found in the books of Moses are VERY
CLEAR on one thing - you must not WORK AT YOUR
REGULAR SECULAR JOB, NOT YOUR SERVANTS, NOT EVEN YOUR
OX OR ASS - IT WAS A DAY OF REST, HOLY TO THE LORD.
Those who would not comply were to be put to DEATH! I
would say God was very SERIOUS about His Sabbaths. You
may want to look up all the laws that carried the death
penalty if broken. Sabbath keeping was among those laws!
Do you think God takes this matter lightly?
Someone is bound to bring up the law about "no fire"
on the Sabbath, found in Exodus 35:3. The Bible
Commentary by Jamieson , Fausset, Brown Vol. 1, page 419,
gives the truth of the matter - quote:
"CHAP.XXXV.1-35. Contributions to the Tabernacle. 1.
Moses gathered, &c.; On the occasion referred to in the
opening of this chapter, the Israelites were
specifically reminded of the design to erect a magnificent
tabernacle for the regular worship of God, as well as
of the leading articles that were required to furnish
that sacred edifice....... 3. Ye shall kindle no fire
throughout your habitation upon the sabbath day. The
Sabbath was NOT A FAST DAY. The Israelites COOKED THEIR
VICTUALS ON THAT DAY, for which, of course, a FIRE
WOULD BE NECESSARY; and this view of the institution is
SUPPORTED BY THE CONDUCT OF OUR LORD (Luke xiv.1). But
in early times the Israelites, while sojourning in the
wilderness and subsisting on manna, received a double
supply on the sixth day, which they cooked also on that
day (see on ch.xvi.23), so that a fire for culinary
purposes was entirely unnecessary on the Sabbath day.
As the kindling of a fire, therefore, could only be
for secular purposes, the INSERTION of the prohibition in
CONNECTION WITH THE WORK OF THE TABERNACLE makes it HIGHLY
PROBABLE that it was INTENDED chiefly for the MECHANICS who
were to be EMPLOYED in that erection; and as some of them
might have supposed it was allowable to ply their trade
in the furtherance of a structure to be dedicated to
religious worship, it was calculated TO PREVENT ALL SUCH
IDEAS, by absolutely forbidding any fire for the sharpening
of tools, for the melting of metals, or any other material
purpose bearing on the sanctuary." (emphasis mine).
This Sabbath law was for the regulating of the
Tabernacle and its physical preparation and upkeep. Even
the Holy place where God would dwell under the old
covenant was not an excuse for tradesmen to apply
their skills on the Sabbath hours.
That law was established for as long as the
Tabernacle/Temple of God stood.
If there was no physical Tabernacle, then that specific law
was automatically redundant, just as the law about gathering
manna was redundant when there was no more manna to
gather.
A few laws regarding Sabbath observance in the books of Moses are
redundant and void, but the CONTEXT and PHYSICAL LIMITATIONS of
those laws make it easy (so easy a young child can understand) to
see WHY they are not applicable under the new covenant but to use
that understanding to teach that the BASIC sabbath law as found
in the words of Exodus 20 is "done away" under the new covenant
is like saying black is now white.
It is TWISTING and PERVERSION of the word of the Lord, it
is the fulfilment of the ancient prophets words when they
said the leaders of the people would "call evil good, and
good evil" and when turning the people away from the law of
God they would tell them " we are delivered to do this
thing."
I thank the Lord that He still has a few who have not bowed the
knee to Baal and are as little children in faith, who can read
the easy to understand parts of God's word and law and
FOLLOW and OBEY it. Truly the Father has hidden these things
from the wise and prudent and has revealed them unto babes.
2. Jesus was neither liberal or conservative. He did not ply the
oneagainst the other as in some "tug of war" match.
Jesus was PERFECTION and set us an example to follow His
steps. Paul followed Christ and told us to "follow me as I
follow Christ." The Jews tried, but could find no
fault in Paul. If he was teaching and practicing what Tkach is
now teaching about Sabbath keeping, you can bet your
bottom dollar the Jews would have torn Paul apart for
religious perversion and "wrong headedness" in watering down
the truth against the commandments of God.
See how Tkach keeps pounding away at "not judging"
on this Sabbath observance issue. True, there are liberties
WITHIN THE LAW of the Sabbath we must all decide upon and
not set up our 600 laws as the Jews did. The Lord
gives us only BASIC guidelines for Sabbath keeping, not
600 laws of do's and don'ts. But Exodus 20 and other
verses are clear, no theological degree needed to read
them and understand. The law defines what sin IS. It is
sin to do your secular job on the Sabbath, and that
we do have the right to judge.
I have commented on the ox in the ditch teaching of
Sabbath keeping, but a few more words may be helpful for
the reader. If you own a tow truck as part of your
secular work (you tow cars for a living) and one day, just
after leaving home to attend Sabbath services, you come
across a car that has plowed into the ditch and
people need help to get back on the road, and you can
help. So should you help? We will suppose in this case
you are not far from home to return with your tow
truck and pull the car out. Yes, you should do so! It
is the kind Christian thing to do and you will accept
NO PAY for doing good on the Sabbath. That and many
other such situations fulfils the ox in the ditch Sabbath
observance. I am not saying anything NEW here. The
Church of God has always taught this kind of Sabbath
keeping.? BUT THIS IS NOT THE WAY TKACH IS USING IT.?
From the context of his wordy writings on this, it
is much BROADER than what the Church of God has ever
taught, and it goes hand in hand with his BROADER
teaching on "do not judge" one another. It sounds like
wonderful liberty he offers you, he wants you to think
it is wonderful liberty from God's revelation to you, but
he does this while he himself is the servant of
corruption and lawlessness.
3. Just a minute. is there ANYTHING in the new covenant
that says we are NOT required to keep the Sabbath
according to the rules of the old covenant? I see
the new covenant saying Christ came not to destroy the law
or the prophets but to fulfil and magnify the law. I see
where Jesus said that if the righteousness of His
disciples did not exceed that of the scribes and
Pharisees, they would not be in the Kingdom of God. I
see where Jesus said FEW would be saved and MANY who
used His name, thought they were Christians, did things
for Him, preached about Him, would be cast out, would not
enter the Kingdom, would be weeping and gnashing their
teeth.
I see where Jesus will tell them "depart from me, you
that work lawlessness." I have before proved that a few Sabbath
laws of the old covenant CANNOT be applied today,as the physical
situation is not there to apply those rules, but otherwise, apart
from those few rules, I see nothing in the new covenant that says
we should not apply old covenant rules to Sabbath keeping.
Once more, Tkach uses the old Protestant arguments of Romans 14
and Hebrews 4 to "spiritualize away" the letter of the 4th
commandment. It should by now be very clear to the reader that
Tkach and the WCG are now a fully Protestant Church, a daughter
of the BABYLONIAN WHORE of the book of Revelation, who may happen
to still meet on the 7th day of the week for church services
(until they move over to Sunday).
4. There it is, could not get much plainer. The Sabbath command
according to Tkach is not binding on Christians. It has
been fulfilled in Christ. Now it is only a spiritual
something or other. I guess this goes along nicely
with, and fits into their new theology about God - just
a spiritual blob of NOTHING! If the reader does not have my
article entitled "The WCG'S NOTHINGNESS GOD" them please
write for it - it's free.
It is now we ourselves who make the Sabbath holy. It
is no longer God who has put His very presence into
those Sabbath hours in a unique way to make it holy
time, but only as we dedicate it to God does it become
holy. I guess by the same reasoning then, if we do not
dedicate those hours to God, then it is not holy and
so we do not break (by doing our work or own thing) a
commandment of God, and do not sin. The WCG have torn
out the 4th commandment from the TEN, stood on it with
their dirty feet and have slid down the mountain side
into the abyss ofdestruction and the removal of their
candlestick from the true Church of God.
I do not want anyone to say I teach things I DO
NOT TEACH, so let me make it plain. Keeping the Sabbath in
the letter and the spirit perfectly will not per se
get you into the Kingdom of God, because you may have a
wrong attitude against another law/s of God, or just a
bad attitude against God for some reason. Ancient Judah
keptthe letter of the Sabbaths and Festivals and New Month
days, but God said He hated them because their whole
attitude to Him was putrid - they observed in the letter
somethings of God but their heart was far from God. It
can be the same with us. Sabbath keeping will not save you,
but on the other hand, can you be saved without Sabbath
keeping as defined by the whole Bible? No, you can not,
for he that will not let God define what sin is and
be willing to serve the Lord with all his heart and soul
and mind, will not receive the Spirit of God that saves
you (Acts 5:32; Romans 8:6-11).
You can not be saved BY keeping the Sabbath, yet you
can not be savedWITHOUT keeping the Sabbath. Sounds
confusing? Better request my article "Saved by Grace" and
get it all clear so you will never be deceived by
anyone.
5. See it for yourselves friends, from the mouth or pen of the
head cookand bottle washer of the WCG. All the Roman Catholics
and all the Protestants, if they have an honest sincere
attitude toward God are no "less Christian." There is
now NOBODY in the WCG or any other group that are less
Christian for "not keeping it" - the Sabbath. So as far
as the 4th commandment of the big ten, the keeping of
it as defined by Exodus 20, or the not keeping of it
so defined, MAKES DO DIFFERENCE TO BEING A TRUE CHRISTIAN,
you are no less or no more Christian whichever way you choose, so
says Mr. Tkach Sr.
I can see the hands of the Catholics and Protestants
being raised and saying "Praise the Lord, the members of
the WCG are one of us."
The Catholics/Protestants will feel at home now in the
services of the WCG, and manymembers of the WCG will
feel at home in the Sunday keeping churches.
It will only be a matter of time and the WCG will meet for
services on Sunday because it will be the most convenient
day of the week to hold meetings on.
6. There are MILLIONS and millions of Sabbath keepers -
letter of the law Sabbath keepers - around the world. Many
of them are poor because of many factors, they could be
classified by our North American standards as in poverty,
but is it really due to observing the Sabbath? Most of
them would never think they are in a poverty cycle
because they keep the Sabbath. Those whose hearts are
right with God are delighted to know the truths of God
(the 4th commandment one of those truths) and so live
their lives accordingly. Not all by any stretch of the
imagination, of Sunday church goers are living in physical
richness. Millions of so called "Christians" around the
world, are living in, or at times find themselves in "a
poverty cycle" no matter which if any day they set aside
for God. Poverty has a whole lot more to it than
"Sabbath keeping." But Tkach would like his readers to
believe that some in the WCG who are in the poverty cycle
can blame it all on obeying the letter of the Sabbath
law. Another falsehood of Satanic deception. If we wanted
to argue our way out of poverty from the Bible, I could
use the example of David. During his troubles and poverty
at one time in his life, he looked at all the great
wealthy wicked and un-godly persons around him, who just
thumbed their nose at God, yet accumulated mountains of
wealth.
He at first could not understand it, but later came to
see the truth of the matter (Ps.73).
Using this section of scripture I could argue that
your poverty cycle can be overcome by rejecting God and
being a part of the wicked of the world.
Some say you can prove anything from the Bible, and
I guess for the carnal mind that is true, but for
those who hunger and thirst after righteousness there is
only ONE WAY, ONE TRUTH, and ONE LIFE - Jesus and His
perfect example.
7. Tkach says we are not saved by rules. He is not
reading ALL the Bible that is obvious. What does he
think Jesus meant when He told the young rich man who
wanted to know how to enter into life. " . . .if thou
wilt enter into life, keep the commandments" (Mat. 19:17)?
Jesus went on to make it clear WHICH commandments He
was speaking about.
Now I believe Jesus, how about you? You are saved
by grace through faith and not of works, as Paul was
inspired to state, but you will also never be saved
without obeying rules. My article "Saved by Grace"
explains it all in simple clear language.
Notice again the "judging" issue is brought back for
one more punch in your face.
8. The truth of Colossians 2:16-17 is explained in my
article called Colossians 2:16. It is free upon request.
Tkach has now adopted the popular Sunday keepers
teaching. He puts the physical letter of the Sabbath
law in the same bag as physical sacrifices, and as one
has been put aside so the other also. The Sabbath is
debunked to physical ritual and thrown out with the
blood of bulls and goats. Another result of his inept
reading of God'sword. Physical sacrifices were from the
beginning - they were voluntary until God instituted
a rigorous Priesthood/Sacrifice system under Moses for the
Israelites. But NEVER were sacrifices mentioned with the
TEN COMMANDMENTS. Many Bible scholars of yesterday
(Albert Barnes, Adam Clarke, Matthew Henry, and other famous
writers and preachers) and today have and do acknowledge
that the ten commandment law is the ETERNAL MORAL LAW OF
GOD! They admit it is a law of God for all peoples and
for all ages, the keeping and observing of those ten
points would bring peace, joy, happiness, and blessings for
everyone on earth. The observing of animal sacrifices would
do no such thing!
When God first brought Israel out of Egypt, He did not
say anything to them about a sacrificial system. He told
them to obey His voice (Jer.7). He personally spoke the
TEN commandments to them, they heard His voice (Deut.5).
To try and lump the MORAL law of God into the
same mould as the sacrificial system is, to speak politely
- theological ineptness, and to say it not so politely -
idiotical baffoonary.
How anyone who pretends to read the Bible in any serious
way, can state that one or more of the ten commandments
are "done away" because animal sacrifices are now
"done away" is hard for me to fathom, unless I realize
it is the mind of Satan that is speaking and not the
mind of the Holy Spirit.
Here is what the famous Bible Commentator, Albert
Barnes, wrote in his comments on Colossians 2:16; ". . .
There is no evidence, from this passage, that he would
teach that there was no obligation to observe any holy time,
for there is not the SLIGHTEST REASON to BELIEVE that he
meant to teach that ONE OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS HAD
CEASED TO BE BINDING ON MANKIND. No part of the
MORAL LAW - NO ONE of the ten commandments - could be
spoken of as 'a shadow of things to come.' These commandments
are, from the NATURE OF MORAL LAW, of PERPETUAL AND
UNIVERSAL OBLIGATION." (Barnes' Notes on the New
Testament, One Volume Commentary, page 1070, emphasis his
and mine).
I could argue that Hebrews chapter 4 does use the 7th day
Sabbath as a type and "shadow of things to come" but
the main point was clear in the mind of Albert Barnes
and others of his time - the points of the ten
commandments comprise the MORAL LAW of God, binding and
perpetual on all mankind for all times.
These Ph.D religious commentators of yesterday may
have sincerely believed that the 4th commandment was
transferred to Sunday under the new covenant.
But they wholeheartedly taught all ten points of that law
was God's moral law of perpetual obligation by all
mankind, especially those who would call themselves
"Christian." Never did these learned men dream of
synthesizing the moral law with the law of animal sacrifices,
never did they teach that as the one is void today
(animal sacrifices) so is any part of the other (the moral
law of the ten commandments).
This teaching of Tkach has come about in modern times,
from the minds of some Protestant funny-mentalists (funny
if it was not so serious a matter) who being faced with
the "Sabbath question" had to devise a way to get rid
of the 4th commandment. The old fellows taught the 4th
commandment was Sunday, the new guys could not do that,
so other ways around the problem had to be invented.
Tkach is now using most if not all of them (including
"shadows" and "animal sacrifice" ideas) on the membership
of the WCG.
All those shadowy ideas will one day meet the reality of
Jesus, and the shadowy persons who have shadowingly (excuse
my pun) taught them will hear "depart from me, ye that work
lawlessness." There indeed will be "weeping and gnashing
of teeth."
WORLDWIDE NEWS - JANUARY 24th, 1995
All Christians have an obligation to live the life of
the Spirit as children of God, but not as slaves of the law
(Romans 8:1-17).
MY C0MMENT:
Now it is possible to make a god out of
anything - even the ten commandment law of the Lord. The
Jews of Jesus' time had become slaves to the Sabbath by
their 600 rules of do's and don'ts. So yes, it is
possible to be a slave to the letter of God's law
and forget or neglect love, mercy, judgment. Remember
what Jesus told the Pharisees in Matthew 23. They loved
to obey the letter of the law of tithing, but forgot mercy
and judgment. But did Jesus tell them they should
IGNORE the letter and just live the spirit? NOT AT ALL!
Read it for yourselves friends. Jesus did not "do away"
with the letter.
Somehow I do not get the feeling Tkach is saying
what I've just said. His other words show a more sinister
theme.
The very section of scripture he sites contains these
words: "For to be carnally minded(the minding of the flesh,
mrg. reading) is death; but to be spiritually minded is
life and peace. Because the carnal mind is ENMITY AGAINST
GOD: for it is not SUBJECT TO THE LAW OF GOD, neither
indeed can be....... Now if any man HAVE NOT THE SPIRIT
OF CHRIST, he is none of His" (verses 6-9).
To live the life of the Spirit IS TO BE SUBJECT TO THE
LAW OF GOD!
Did the Spirit of life that dwelt in Jesus (and must
dwell in us if we are to be His) lead Him to be subject
to the law of God? Did Jesus by His words or life teach
that the letter and spirit of the 4th commandment was "done
away" ? He threw on the garbage heap many man made rules
and traditions concerning Sabbath observance, but NEVER in
word or action did He give the slightest notion that the
4th commandment was THEN or LATER to be cast out along
with animal sacrifices or physical circumcision. He lived
a SINLESS life in every way. He was perfection personified.
He never broke God's commandments either in the letter or
in the spirit. He was our PERFECT example
We are to have that very Spirit of Christ that was in
Him, IN US, if we do not we are none of His.
Paul had just stated in Romans chapter seven, that the
law of God (ten commandment law, verse 7) was HOLY, JUST
and GOOD. That is was SPIRITUAL (verses 12,14).
He had said in verse 22, "For I DELIGHT in the law of
God after the inward man."
The whole context of this part of Paul's letter is to
LOVE, SERVE, DELIGHT, OBEY the law of God. Go back to
chapter 6. Look at verse one: "What shall we say
then? Shall we continue in sin (the breaking of the law
- 1 Jn.3:4 with Rom.7:7) , that grace may abound"? He
answers emphatically in the next verse: "GOD FORBID"!
Notice verse six: "Knowing this, that our old man is
crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed,
that henceforth we should NOT SERVE SIN."
Verse 12 says, "Let not SIN therefore REIGN in your
mortal body, that ye should OBEY IT in the lusts thereof."
Verse 15 asks and answers the "grace" question: "What
then? shall we SIN, because we are not under the law,
but under GRACE? GOD FORBID"!
Now verse 18, "Being then made free from sin, ye
became the SERVANTS(slaves) of RIGHTEOUSNESS."
Do you know a Bible definition of righteousness? Here is
one: ". . . .for ALL THY COMMANDMENTS are righteousness "
(Psalm 119:172).
Notice verse 19, the last part: "even so now yield
your members SERVANTS (slaves) to righteousness unto holiness."
In chapter 7 and verse 25, Paul said he SERVED
the law of God. His attitude of mind was to love, and obey
it, yet because he was still in the flesh he often came
short of its perfection.
In one sense, in the RIGHT sense we are to be SLAVES to
the law of God.
We are to be a DAVID! We should want God to be able
to say of us that, "he is a man/woman after my own heart"
as He did of David.
Why could God say this about David? Read the Psalms and
you will see.
One of the greatest qualities David had was to
love the law, commandments, statutes and precepts of
God, as the Lord Himself loves them.
You need to take the time friend and read Psalm I; 103;
111; and 119 for starters.
Look at Ps.119 and verse 136. David said: "Rivers of
water run down my eyes, because they keep not thy law."
When you hear or read about this new teaching from
Tkach that most of the members of the WCG will blindly
follow, do you shed tears? Can it so trouble you that you
wake up in the middle of the night thinking about it? Have
you had days of a "heavy heart" because they "keep not
thy law"? Can you still shed tears over this like David
did?
Friend, I have. And as a servant and minister of the
Most High, I must take the time to answer Tkach in fine
detail.
In the correct sense our attitude should be that we
are SERVANTS - SLAVES - to the law of God. We are to
love the Lord with all of our heart, soul and mind.
That, as I have shown you, is commanded of us in BOTH
old, and new covenant. And the new covenant says: "For
this is the LOVE OF GOD, that we KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS:
AND HIS COMMANDMENTS ARE NOT GRIEVOUS" (1 John 5:3).
The new covenant also sates: "And hereby we do KNOW
THAT WE KNOW HIM, IF WE KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS. He that
saith, I know Him, and keepeth NOT HIS COMMANDMENTS, is a
liar, and the TRUTH IS NOT IN HIM.......And whatsoever we
ask, we receive of Him, BECAUSE we keep His commandments, and
do those things that are pleasing in His sight....... And this
IS LOVE, that we WALK AFTER HIS COMMANDMENTS....... Here
is the patience of the saints, here are they that KEEP THE
COMMANDMENTS or GOD, AND THE FAITH OF JESUS.......Blessed are
they that DO HIS COMMANDMENTS, that they may have right to the
tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city."
(1 John 2:3-4; 3:2?; 2 John 6; Revelation 14:12; 22:14).
WORLD-WIDE NEWS - JANUARY 24th, 1995
But the physical keeping of the Sabbath is not part of our
new covenant obligation (Galatians 4:1-31).
MY COMMENT:
Once more in BLACK and WHITE, right before your eyes. There it
is, as clear as day, the new teaching of the WCG - the old
teaching of some (probably most) of the Pro-testant
funny-mentalists, popularly known as fundamentalists.
The Sabbath, as written in Exodus 20 is "void" - "done
away" under the new covenant.
Galatians chapter 4, especially verses 9-11 is called upon
to try and prove their stand of "no Sabbath observance."
Does the Bible contradict itself? Hebrews chapter 4
in the original Greek absolutely proves there is
presently - to day - still a Sabbath keeping for the
people of God, which is the 7th day of the week (verses
4,9), and those that enter God's rest cease from his OWN
WORK, AS GOD DID FROM HIS (verse 10). Now if this
is to be understood that we cease from our sins and enter
a spiritual rest, then so it must be understood for God
also. The very wording applies to both mankind and
God. Did God on that 7th day of creation CEASE FROM
SIN TO ENTER SPIRITUAL REST? No way! Not in your wildest
dreams! The Lord, ". . . RESTED from all HIS WORK which
God CREATED and MADE" (Gen.2:3).
The immediate context before this verse gives you the
plain truth what God had been doing on the
previous six days - the work He had been busy with was
PHYSICAL CREATION WORK! God rested on that 7th day from THAT
WORK and so blessed and sanctified (set apart) the 7th day.
It is so simple a child can understand, I understood it
when I was 7 years old and starting to read the Bible and
being taught to recite the Ten Commandments of Exodus 20.
So does the Bible contradict itself? Many say it
does and remain infidels and scoffers and atheists.
Did Paul in Galatians 4 say there was no Sabbath to observe,
contradicting Hebrew which says, "there remains a Sabbath
keeping to the people of God"? And did Paul to the Galatians
teach there was no Sabbath keeping, while to the Romans
teach they could choose whatever day they wanted as the
Sabbath (Rom.14)? Turn to Galatians 4:10. Can you
find written the word "Sabbath"? Can you find written,
"Ye observe the 4th commandment"? Can you find written,
"Ye observe the Jewish Sabbath'? Is it written in this
verse, "Ye observe old covenant days"? Is it written
here, "Ye observe Sabbaths of the law of Moses " ? No
such words, language or phrases are used! That alone
should get you wondering about the correctness of these
funda-mental Protestants and WCG of late.
I have an article that explains this verse of Galatians
4, correctly! I have a study article on the book of
Galatians as a whole - it is in-depth., but it will
help you understand that book like you have never
understood it before - the title is "A Study in the
book of Galatians." I must because of very limited
funds ask for a donation of $5 for that study paper.
If you do not want to write for the article or
the study paper for whatever reason,
I want to finish my comment here with this. The good old
boys of yesterdays Protestant persuasion, who still
upheld all the ten commandments as God's eternal moral
law, did not believe Paul was "'doing away" with the 4th
commandment in Galatians 4:10.
I will quote again from Albert Barnes (Barnes'
Notes from the New Testament, One Vol. edition, page 947: "It
is not a fair interpretation of this to suppose that the
apostle refers to the Sabbath, properly so called, for this
was a part of the Decalogue, and was observed by the SAVIOR
HIMSELF, and by the APOSTLES also. It is a fair interpretation
to apply it to ALL THOSE DAYS WHICH ARE NOT COMMANDED TO BE
KEPT HOLY IN THE SCRIPTURES; and hence the passage is as
applicable to the observance of SAINTS' DAYS, and days in
honor of particular events in SACRED history, as to the
DAYS OBSERVED BY THE Galatians. There is as real servitude
in the observance of the numerous festivals and fasts in
the Papal communion, and in some Protestant churches,
as there was in the observance of the days in the
Jewish ecclesiastical calendar; and, for anything that I can
see, such observances are as inconsistent now, with the
freedom of the gospel, as they were in the time of Paul .
WeSHOULD OBSERVE AS SEASONS OF HOLY TIME WHAT IT CAN BE
PROVED GOD HAS COMMANDED US, AND NO MORE" (emphasis his
and mine).
Thank you Albert Barnes and I say "amen" to your comment.
You will never learn the truth about the book of
Galatians from the present leaders of the WCG. You will
learn more truth about this "hard to understand" writing
of Paul from the commentary of Barnes, than from Tkach. It
is possible your Public Library will have the one volume work
of Barnes' Notes on the New Testament.
WORLDWIDE NEWS JANUARY 24th, 1995
But to say that the Sabbath is a binding command on Christians in
the New Testament, and to forbid employment as a
requirement for membership, is to misunderstand and
misapply the Scriptures. (On the other hand, to play
golf or go to sports stadiums instead of assembling for
worship is wrong).
MY COMMENT:
As goes out the one, so comes in the other. Naturally, now
that the Sabbath commandment has been relegated to the
trash can by the WCG, they will not think about it
much anymore, nor will they teach members or candidates for
baptism that the breaking of the 4th commandment IS SIN.
The theology of the WCG will now be much the same as
their other sister churches of the WOMAN BABYLON mentioned
in Revelation 17:5. Her daughters may say bowing to idols
is sin, they may say stealing is sin, they may
say adultery is sin, they may say you should observe 9 of the 10
commandments but the Sabbath command - it is not
binding on Christians today, they tell you. And to
teach that you are forbidden to be employed in secular work
on that day, is close to out and out heresy in their
eyes, certainly it would be classified as fanatical.
How the truth has been turned upside down, indeed black is
called white and white is called black in many churches
today.
You will now begin to see in the WCG a move away from teaching
what the Bible defines as sin (the new covenant defines it
very clearly), a move away from the Bible definition
of righteousness, a move away from what is true
repentance, sanctification, and holiness, as defined by the
word of the Lord. You will see an ever increase of man
made rules, regulations, traditions, and psychological
philosophies. It is already happening in the statement
above from Tkach.
He has been busy telling you that the 4th
commandment of the old covenant is NOT BINDING under the
new covenant, what it commanded then does not apply
today. He has been telling you that you no longer have
to look into the old covenant to see how you should
regulate your life to comply to the Sabbath command. By his
very words, and his very teaching on the subject, you
no longer have to use Isaiah 58:13,14 to instruct and
guide you in Sabbath observance.
Those verses say: "If thou turn away thy foot from the
sabbath, from doing THY PLEASURE on MY HOLY DAY; and call
the sabbath a DELIGHT, the HOLY of the Lord, HONOURABLE;
and shalt honour Him, NOT DOING THINE OWN WAYS, NOR
FINDING THINE OWN PLEASURE, NOR SPEAKING THINE OWN WORDS:
Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will
cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth,
and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the
mouth of the Lord hath spoken it."
The very next verses put this in the context of SIN and INIQUITY.
You need to read Isaiah chapter 59, verses one through to
fifteen. Remember in the original Hebrew there was no divisions
of chapters and verses.
The WCG will no longer use this section of the old
covenant to teach people about the Sabbath command, for
to them the 4th commandment is not binding on Christians
in the new testament.
Now, if it is not binding then it is not sin. If we are
permitted by God to do something then it is not breaking a
law, or rule, God tells us to not break. That should
be simple to understand, should it not? So if the Sabbath
command is "no more" then there are no words to define what
should or should not be done on that day. There is then
no definition of sin for that command as that command
is not a command any more, under the new covenant,
according to Tkach . If that is so, and human logical
reasoning would deduce that is so, WHY DOES TKACH TELL
YOU THAT "to play golf or to go to sports stadiums instead of
assembling for worship is wrong"?
Paul said: "......but sin is not imputed when there is
no law" (Rom.5:13). And he also said: "....... for
where no law is, there is no transgression" also, ".......
for by the law is the knowledge of sin" (Rom. 4:15;
3:20).
If the Sabbath command is no longer binding on
Christians in the new testament, if that law is "unbound"
- "done away" - then by the very words Paul was inspired
to preach under the new covenant, there IS NO SIN FOR
BREAKING THE SABBATH COMMAND IN WORKING OR IN PLEASURE!
It is just that simple - no law - no sin! As long as you are not
doing other sins (that the Bible defines as sin) on the
7th, or the 5th, or the 1st, or any day of the week, you
can DO WHAT YOU LIKE! You are breaking no Sabbath law
or command by doing sinless activities, because the 4th
commandment law is not a law anymore, and where there is
no law there is no transgression, no knowledge of sin,
and sin is not reckoned or marked on your tab when
there is no law.
You will notice Tkach says it is wrong to play golf
or attend sports stadiums instead of worship services. He
did not use the word "sin" for he can not, for the
reasons I have just pointed out to you. He is wiser than
that, he hasn't forgotten these verses I have just talked
about. He knows the bottom line of the theology he now
espouses and teaches - no law - no sin. So he can
not tell you it is sin to play golf on the Sabbath, or
attend the local football game. Those things
he says would be "wrong " - a word that to most of us
is LESS than sin.
He has before stated in his writings that the WCG will
continue to meet on Saturday for worship services so he
would argue, under the "spirit of the new testament" it
would be "wrong" (in his estimation) to play a game of golf
instead of attending worship services.
Do you see what is going on here? Tkach and the leaders
of the WCG have told you there is no longer any
Sabbath command as defined by the old covenant and the
4th commandment of Exodus 20, so they know then there is
no sin for breaking it. Now they must try to devise ways
to still get their members to attend Saturday worship services.
Man made philosophies and teachings must be employed to
hold the people together for Saturday services. They will
claim this human dogma is within the spirit of the new
covenant - not called sin, but "wrongs" and
"rights" - "better" and "worse." This will be the way
for a while, get the people brain washed to it, get them
accustomed to it, then, believe me it will come, they can
move along to the next step on their time table - a
change from Saturday worship services to SUNDAY worship
services!
MORE FROM THE SAME WORLDWIDE NEWS:
The Sabbath does not appear in any of the "sin
lists" in the New Testament. Nor does it appear in any
of the commands or lists of virtues in the New
Testament....
MY COMMENT:
See, he is telling his readers the keeping of the
Sabbath command OR the not keeping of it is NOT VIRTUE OR
SIN. It is just "no there" any more according to Tkach,
so it can not be virtue to keep it, nor can it be sin,
not to observe it - according to the WCG.
I could argue that the Sabbath command is included in the
"sin list" of Galatians 5:19-21. I could argue that it would
come under and be included in HERESIES (the teaching
that the Sabbath command was "done away" under the new
covenant would have been huge heresy to James and the
Jerusalem church, and to Paul - more proof of that later).
I could argue that the Sabbath command could come
under Paul's words in verse 21 "and such like." I could
argue that the Sabbath command is included in the lists
of virtues in the new testament, under the word "love" of
Galatians 5:22, for "love is the fulfilling of the law"
(see Romans 13:9,10). I could argue this way with many more
new covenant Scriptures, but to the mind of Tkach he would
not be persuaded on this point unless I could show him
the specific phrase containing the specific word "Sabbath"
or "fourth commandment." I know how his mind is working, I
have encountered it many times from other Protestant
ministers and members. This is just another tactic to NOT
live by every word of God as Jesus said we should, and
just plainly rebel at the one commandment of God they think
is "old fashioned" and very troubling for our modern
demanding work-a-world societies.
The truth of the matter as to why the specific Sabbath command
was not listed in the virtues or sin lists of the New
Testament is the HISTORICAL and BIBLICAL fact that Sabbath
keeping in those days was NO BIG DEAL! The need to
mention it as some BIG sin or some GREAT virtue for God's
people was not relevant to the everyday Christian life of the
times.
The Jewish people were granted full religious freedom under
the Romans. Any child can see that by just reading the
Gospels and book of Acts.
The Jews were free to worship on and observe the Sabbaths of
the Lord. They were free to have their Temple and synagogues,
free to travel from all parts of the Empire to Jerusalem for the
Festivals. The Jewish societies were built upon, and around, the
7th day - Sabbath observance.
It was not a Sunday observing society - it was a
Saturday(Sabbath) observing society!
The Gentiles of the Roman Empire were free to became Jewish
proselytes. Again, just read the first five books of the new
covenant. Many Gentiles did accept the Jewish faith and
served God as the Jews did, which meant they observed
the Sabbath command as found in the old covenant. They
attended the synagogue services on the Sabbath and
heard Moses and the Law was read to them (Acts
15:19-21). Being converted to Christ and the new covenant
Church of God (which was looked upon as a sect of Judaism by
the Romans and the Jews - read the book of Acts), and
keeping the Sabbath was NO BIG DEAL, no BIG virtue in human
estimation. Thousands of Jews and Gentiles were keeping
the Sabbath outside of the Church of God. The Sabbath
question was NOT A QUESTION OR ISSUE for the Apostolic
Church of God. It was a part of life and part of accepted
society in those days.
The Sabbath comes around once every 7 days. It is by nature a
more physical law - do not do your regular work, rest and
worship God in reading His word, singing, praying, fellowship
and attending Church. We can only break the Sabbath once
a week as it comes to us. We can only keep the Sabbath
once a week as it comes to us. A society geared around
Sabbath (7th day) observance would make that commandment
EASY to comply with and not break(unless you were part of
the Pharisees with their 600 man made rules.
But many (if not all) of the sins listed in the "sin
lists" of the new covenant were an EVERYDAY - day in day
out - battle to overcome and put away from their minds, actions,
deeds, heart, and living situations of daily life in a society
that fed on those sins. Look at the sin list in Galatians 5.
These were sins that God's people had to fight, overcome,
and put away, on a daily living experience. Some of them MUCH
HARDER to overcome than the once a week Sabbath command. Yes,
the Sabbath can be broken by wrong actions, wrong words, and
wrong thoughts, and most Sabbath keepers do break it from time
to time in those areas, but if we are honest about it, and if you
have been around as many Sabbath keepers as I have over the
last 35 years, you will admit that once in the groove of
Sabbath observance, it is easy to follow in the main.
There are millions of Sabbath keepers around the world, most of
them have the right attitude and love to serve the Lord in the
light they have been given.
Most of them have little trouble keeping the Sabbath, some
have lost jobs, not been able to accept jobs, because of the
Sabbath. Some have had to observe it secretly in the country
they lived in. But most once in the swing of keeping the
fourth commandment manage very nicely thank you. Most of
them will tell you they have much more difficulty overcoming and
putting away OTHER SINS that can plague them every day of
the week.
Sabbath breaking is not found in the sin lists of the new
covenant because it was NOT AMAJOR PROBLEM AND SIN TO
OVERCOME in the world of the Apostles.
Sabbath keeping is not mentioned in the virtue lists of the new
covenant because it was no BIG VIRTUE to keep the Sabbath in a
Sabbath observing society at the time of the Apostles. The
sin of "lying with a beast" (having sex with an animal) is not
specifically named in any of the "sin" lists in the new
covenant, not because it is no longer a sin (it was under
the old covenant, see Lev.18:23-30), but because it was not a
big problem among those coming into the Church, just as it is
not preached about or mentioned much in the Church today - it is
not a wide daily sin issue today nor was it at the time of the
apostles. It was a larger problem among the nations that
Israel would encounter as they went into the promised
land.
Not practicing such a sin is not named in the virtue lists of the
new covenant, not because it is not a virtue to refrain from
such sins, but because it was NOT A PROBLEM of the time,
and so did not warrant any specific mention as some great virtue
on the Christian's part. The virtues mentioned are obviously
virtues that most people in the Church had problems attaining
and practicing. The Apostles felt no obligation in having to
repeat all the sins and virtues and commandments of the old
testament, and the new testament. People could, as James said:
"For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him,
being read in the synagogue every Sabbath day" (Acts 15:12).
They could, after sometimes being told about specific areas of
sins they had (Acts 15:20), go to the Church on the Sabbath and
learn more - learn how to live by every word of God. They could
learn "everything about sin but were afraid to as" and
"everything about righteousness but were afraid to ask"
from the old covenant, from attending Sabbath services, and
from the true servants of the Lord.
If the Apostles were here with us today, in our societies, then
their list of sins and list of virtues, would probably be
somewhat different than when they wrote their lists in the
first century A.D.
TKACH CONTINUES HIS ARGUMENTS:
At creation, God rested on the seventh day and
sanctified it. But we also need to understand that at
creation, God gave no command to human beings regarding
keeping the day as a Sabbath. The day is not called
the Sabbath at creation, it is called the seventh day.
There is no commandment regarding the Sabbath until
after the Exodus. The Sabbath commandment is based on
God's rest in the creation account, but there is simply
no biblical teaching that a Sabbath commandment existed
before God formed a relationship with the Israelites, a
relationship codified at Mt. Sinai.......
TO BE CONTINUED
...........................
Written April 1995
All articles and studies by Keith Hunt may be copied, published,
e-mailed, and distributed as led by the Spirit. Mr. Hunt trust
nothing will be changed without his consent.
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