The
Testimony of A Catholic Against the Sabbath and my
Refutation
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. Exodus 20:8-11
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Dear Reader, The following document depicts the thinking of sda2rs, which means he converted from being an SDA to Catholicism. He requested that his name be withheld. If he puts this on his Website, he has my full permission to do so. ----- Original
Message ----- From:
sda2rc Sent: Saturday, August 09, 2008 8:29 PM Subject: [SDAIssues] Fw: [DefendEGW] Re:
Questions Catholics can't and won't answer
Ron’s refutation to Sda2rc’s
arguments: Sda2rc said: “The Sabbath
command was never given to anyone but the Jews, the decalogue was
specifically said to be a covenant between God and the Sons of Israel.” God said: Mar 2:27 And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man,
and not man for the sabbath: ·
I understand that man includes more than the Jews. God’s
covenant was made with man, not just the Jews. ·
It was given first to
the Jews because they worshiped one God. ·
The Decalogue defined sin. Sin is defined as transgression of
the law, the Decalogue. If the Decalogue was a covenant between the Sons of
Israel ONLY, that would mean that no other men could be held accountable for
sin and therefore they would not be sinners and would not need a Saviour. ·
If the Covenant and the Decalogue was for the Sons of Israel
only, Jesus died only for their sins, for Scripture
says that the Testator must die to atone for sin. Therefore, there was no
sacrifice for the Gentiles and they could not have sinned because the
covenant did not include them. Sda2rc says: “The Old
Covenant was done away with at the cross.” Ron responds: If the Old Covenant embracing the Decalogue was
nailed to the cross, no one could have sinned since the cross. Rom 4:8 Blessed [is] the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. Psa 32:2 Blessed [is] the man unto whom the LORD imputeth
not iniquity, and in whose spirit [there is] no guile. Iniquity is sin. God says
that all have sinned. He will only impute sin to those who refuse to confess
and repent of sin. If the Covenant Decalogue applied only to the Sons of
Israel, then non other could sin because the Decalogue would not apply to
them. The fact that God says all have sinned, proves that all are under the
Decalogue covenant. If the Decalogue covenant ended with the cross, no man
could have sinned since the cross because sin is defined as transgression of
the law and if there is no law defining sin, there can be no sin. Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Rom 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: God warned Eve of what would
cause sin on her part. He has warned all men as to what constitutes sin. When
God says all men have sinned, He means that all men have transgressed His
covenant with man and that it included all men. If God charged man with sin
without defining sin, that would be pure tyranny and
He would not be a just God. Catholicism includes mainly
Gentiles. They believe in sin. They believe in confession of sin. They do
penance for sin. They believe in purgatory as a means of dealing with sin. So
it is a serious contradiction for a Catholic to teach that there is no law
defining sin since the cross, and that the Decalogue Covenant applied only to
the Sons of Israel or Jews. If the Sabbath was done away
with at the cross, evidently Jesus did not inform His mother, whom the
Catholics venerate as the Queen of Heaven, because Mary was among the women
mentioned in the following verses who rested on the Sabbath after the cross.
That would have been a sacrilege if the Decalogue Covenant was done away with
at the cross. Thereafter, no Jew or Gentile could have sinned because there
would have been no definition of sin. Luk 23:55 And the women also, which came with
him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body
was laid. Luk 23:56 And they returned, and prepared
spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the
commandment. 49 And all his
acquaintance, and the women that followed him from Galilee, stood afar off,
beholding these things. Note: All his acquaintance would include His mother Mary. 50 And, behold, there was a man named Joseph, a
counsellor; and he was a good man, and a just: 51 (The same had not consented to the counsel and deed of
them;) he was of Arimathaea, a city of the
Jews: who also himself waited for the kingdom of God. 52 This man went unto Pilate, and begged the body
of Jesus. 53 And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid
it in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid. 54 And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew
on. 55 And the women also, which came with him from Galilee,
followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid. 56 And they returned, and prepared spices
and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment. Scholars estimate that 1 John 3:4 was written in the first
half of the nineties of the 1st century A.D. SDA Bible Commentary, Vol. 7, p. 625. This is proof perfect that
the law was still intact because John gave the following definition of sin at
that distant time AFTER the cross: 1Jo 3:4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. Sda2rc says: 9 of the imperative’s of the Decalogue were re-initiated in the New
Covenant... the Sabbath and the prohibition against making images both are
conspicuously absent. Ron responds: It is not true that the Sabbath is left out of
the New Covenant which is nothing more than the Old Covenant Decalogue placed
in the heart of man: Jer 31:33 But this [shall be] the covenant that I will make
with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law
in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God,
and they shall be my people. Jer 32:40 And I will make an everlasting covenant with them,
that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear
in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me. Hbr 8:10 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: Hbr 10:16 This [is] the covenant that I will make with them
after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and
in their minds will I write them; 2Ch 6:14 And said, O LORD God of Israel, [there is] no God
like thee in the heaven, nor in the earth; which keepest covenant, and
[shewest] mercy unto thy servants, that walk before thee with all their
hearts: The law was to be put in hearts and minds and not made void as
Sda2rc teaches. That means that the command not to make or bow down to images
is still in force. Why would God permit us to make and bow down to images and
not permit the Jews to? That would be a double-standard and that is not the
case. The
Continuum of the Sabbath in Hebrews Chapter 4 There can be no doubt that Jesus did not appoint another day than the seventh day Sabbath, and that is made clear in Hebrews chapter 4. That chapter deals with the importance of resting from our own works in an effort to earn salvation, but it also makes it clear that Christ still limited the day of worship to the seventh-day and that if He had appointed any other day, He would have told us so: Hebrews 4 1 Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us
of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. 2 For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them:
but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them
that heard it. 3 For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he
said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although
the works were finished from the foundation of the world. 4 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. 5 And in this place again, If they shall enter
into my rest. 6 Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter
therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of
unbelief: 7 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. 8 For if Jesus
had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day.
9 There
remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. 10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath
ceased from his own works, as God did from his. 11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest
any man fall after the same example of unbelief. The Admonition to Pray that Flight From the
Abomination of Desolation Would not be on the Sabbath Day Mat
24:20 But pray ye that your flight be
not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: The
Abomination of Desolation which was the Roman soldiers ascending on Jewish
soil so many furlongs from the city proper of Jerusalem, occurred in A.D. 66,
when the Roman general Cestius first made that pursuit. It occurred again in
A.D. 70, when the Romans destroyed the Temple and the city of Jerusalem.
Jesus told His followers to pray that their flight not be on the Sabbath.
This proves the continuum of the
Sabbath, as lingering 40 years after the cross event in A.D. 30. But there is
more to this Abomination of Desolation factor. “Note.—The
flight of the Christians took place late in October, A.D. 66, three and
one-half years before the fall of Jerusalem.” Bible Readings for the Home, 1914 edition. Daniel said
that the Abomination of Desolation would occur again at the end-time—even
until the indignation be accomplished. This is a deeper revelation on proof
of the continuum of the Sabbath that the Lord showed to me in vision. It is
irrefutable and proves that the Sabbath will endure till the final
indignation mentioned in Revelation 14:10. Now consider
these verses from Matthew 24:15-20: 15 When ye therefore shall
see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in
the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand: 16 Then let them which be
in Judaea flee into the mountains: 17 Let him which is on the
housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: 18 Neither let him which is in the field
return back to take his clothes. 19 And woe unto them that
are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! 20 But pray ye that your
flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: Regarding the Abomination
of Desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet, he said that the abomination
of desolation will stand in the holy place until the final indignation of
Revelation 14:10. Notice carefully: Dan 11:31 And arms shall
stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and
shall take away the daily [sacrifice], and they shall place the abomination
that maketh desolate. Dan 12:11 And from the
time [that] the daily [sacrifice] shall be taken away, and the abomination
that maketh desolate set up, [there shall be] a thousand two hundred and
ninety days. The following verses are
from Daniel 11:30-, which is obviously end-time in context and Ellen White
says it is as well. Here is what the following texts prove: 30 For the ships of
Chittim shall come against him: therefore he shall be grieved, and return,
and have indignation against the holy covenant: so shall he do; he shall even
return, and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant. 31 And arms shall stand on
his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take
away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh
desolate. 32 And such as do wickedly
against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do
know their God shall be strong, and do exploits. 33 And they that
understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the
sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days. 34 Now when they shall
fall, they shall be holpen with a little help: but many shall cleave to them
with flatteries. 35 And some of them of
understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white,
even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed. 36 And the king shall do
according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above
every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and
shall prosper till the indignation be
accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done. 37 Neither shall he regard
the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he
shall magnify himself above all. 38 But in his estate shall
he honour the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he
honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things. 39 Thus shall he do in the
most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase
with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the
land for gain. 40 And at the time of the
end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall
come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with
many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and
pass over. 41 He shall enter also
into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these
shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the
children of Ammon. 42 He shall stretch forth
his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape. 43 But he shall have power
over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of
Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps. 44 But tidings out of the
east and out of the north shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with
great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many. 45 And he shall plant the
tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet
he shall come to his end, and none shall help him. 10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God,
which is poured out without mixture into the
cup of his indignation; and he
shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy
angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: 11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever
and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his
image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. 12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are
they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. Revelation
14:10-12. The abomination of desolation
spoken of by Daniel the prophet, will be in place until the final cup of
God’s indignation, and that is the very end of time. Connect that with
Matthew 24:14, 15, which says that we are to flee when we see the abomination
of desolation in place. And we know from Daniel 11, that once the abomination
of desolation (the National Sunday Law, 5T 451, 464) is in place, it will
continue until the final INDIGNATION of Revelation 14:10. And we are to pray
that this fleeing will not occur on the Sabbath day, thus proving that the
Sabbath endures to the final indignation at the very end of time for this
earth. We also know that the Sabbath
will endure forever in the new heaven and the new earth. So why dispense with
the Sabbath from the cross to the new earth? 22 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. 23 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 notice verse 12 of
Revelation 14. The saints are those who are keeping the commandment of God
and the faith of Jesus. The commandments of God are the Decalogue Covenant.
Maybe this is one reason the Eastern Orthodox Catholic church still does not
recognize Revelation and the chapter’s eligibility for canonicity was
disputed at the Council of Laodicea by the Catholic church. Sda2rc says: “There is not one single command of a Christian to Keep the
Jewish Sabbath after the resurrection of Christ...” Ron responds: All of the above evidence should be sufficient to the sincere seeker for truth. Especially the command in Hebrews 4; especially the command associated with Matthew 24:14, 15. Sda2rc says: “In Mark 7:21-22 13 sins are listed. Jesus did not mention
breaking the Sabbath. In Romans 1:29-32 20 sins are listed and not one of
them is Sabbath breaking. In Galatians 5:19-21 a list of 15 sins are given.
In 2 Timothy 3:1-4 there's a list of 18 sins, but not once is Sabbath
breaking mentioned!” Ron responds: We have established proof that the law of God
was not abrogated. This proof sustains the Decalogue Covenant as applicable
to all men. The Sabbath was made for man, not just Jews or Sons of Israel.
The saints at the end-time are said to be keeping the commandments of God and
the faith of Jesus. Daniel 11 establishes that the mention of Sabbath in
Matthew 24:14, 15, applies to the end of time—the final indignation. Were it true that Christ obliterated the Sabbath by nailing
the Decalogue law to the cross, no man should institute another day as a
Sabbath. No man should ever try to enforce a Sunday law. No man should try to
make Sunday sacred. The Pope has said much concerning the sanctity of Sunday.
Not once did Christ bless, make holy and/or sanctify Sunday. What was nailed to the cross? Moses’ civil laws as contained
in civil ordinances, was put in a pocket in the side of the Ark of the
Covenant. The Ten Commandment Decalogue was placed inside the Ark of the
Covenant. It was the civil laws of Moses as contained in ordinances that were
nailed to the cross and not the Moral Law of God which spells out our duty to
Him (first four commandments) and our duty to our fellow man (last six
commandments). Eph 2:15 Having abolished in
his flesh the enmity, [even] the law of commandments [contained] in
ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, [so] making peace; 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. Col. 2:14-17. Note: The Jews celebrated numerous Sabbath days that were not related to the Seventh-day Sabbath. The law as contained in ordinances was a shadow, a shool-teacher, until Christ should come and replace those practices that shadowed His coming and His propitiation for sin. The Ten Commandment Law of God was a moral law, not civil ordinances—the laws of Moses. The Sanctuary, The Law and the Sabbath Jesus said: Mat 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. All is not fulfilled until the Sanctuary is cleansed of sin. There are still repented of sins entering the Sanctuary in heaven. Catholics are responsible for some of those sins. It is an oxymoron to teach that the law defining sin was nailed to the cross. All is not fulfilled until the Sanctuary is finally cleansed of all sin. “Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:19. Ellen White says that means such person will not be in heaven. It is interesting that the mainline churches are trying to get the ten-commandments back into recognition through the annual Ten-Commandment Day. If Satan is going to try to get Sunday enforced, he is going to have to revive the Ten-commandment law. That is an oxymoron since he contested the necessity of the ten commandments. It should be apparent to any thinking person that where two or more beings with the power of choice accrue, laws, rules and regulations are an absolute necessity. David realized that the law of God was necessary and that it protected the vital interests of all individuals. That is why he said that he loved God’s law and meditated upon it day and night. God said that the law is perfect, converting the soul. Christ said His commandments are not grievous. He said that a personal test as to whether or not we love Him and the brethren is whether or not we keep His commandments. It would seem strange to nail a perfect law that converts the soul, to the cross! Psa 19:7 The law of the LORD [is] perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD [is] sure, making wise the simple. That perfect law is also the law of liberty: Jam 1:25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth [therein], he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. God bless, Ron |
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