Feast Days in Adventism
Erstwhile Shadows or New Light?
Feast
Days in Adventism
Erstwhile Shadows or New Light?
http://english.sdaglobal.org/sermon/feastday.htm
As a
lifetime member of the Seventh Day Adventist Church I perceive and concede that
my beloved Church has made serious compromises with the fallen world system. It
is in distress and sadness that I note this. For example, the marvelous health message intended to demonstrate God’s
desire to make man whole, and the impressive powers of healing that are
harnessed as we understandingly obey the Creator’s natural laws, has been
largely supplanted by: the sorcery * (see end note on drugs as sorcery) of
poisonous drugging; vaccines which are implicated in impairing the precious
brain-nerve complex and immune systems of our children; unwarranted radiation
poisoning; and much unnecessary surgery and associated mortality.
Our educational institutions intended of God to be potent
centers of missionary training in the inculcation of life giving truths and
light distinctive from the world system, have instead considerably emulated and
compromised with that very system in order to secure and retain accreditation
status, and acquire broader public acceptance. Problems such as rationalized
moderate drinking and escalating divorce now plague our Church. In a desperate
attempt to halt the massive hemorrhaging of young SDA
believers that are being seduced by the world, the world’s drug culture music
is being increasingly brought into the sacred precincts of our churches and
camp meetings.
God’ clear and inspired counsels that have served as a
bedrock in making this Church a prophetically identified and coherent world
movement are still verbally acknowledged by Church leaders, educators and most
members as the measuring rod of our lives and of our mission. However, for far too many of us the
unpalatable and disagreeable portions of God’s counsel - whether biblical or
Spirit of Prophecy - are tossed aside in our daily lives and
professional/institutional practices, as if inspired counsel is now largely
irrelevant and of little value in our age of unparalleled innovation and
sophistication. As we give pious lip service to the truth, our insubordination
and the shameless belying of our prophetically demarcated mission tends to be
veiled. Indeed, our compromises with the world have led us down the long road
of the delayed advent, thus prolonging the great misery that is in our world.
It is as clear as the day: “We must follow the directions given through the
Spirit of Prophecy. We must love and obey the truth for this time. This will
save us from accepting strong delusions… If we disregard them, what excuse can
we offer?” Testimonies Vol. 8, pp. 296-298
As a further point, God’s special messenger to the Remnant has given us
fair warning and promise:
If in defiance of God’s arrangements the world be allowed
to influence our decisions or our action, the purpose of God is defeated.
However specious the pretext, if the Church waver here, there is written
against her in the books of heaven a betrayal of the most sacred trusts, and
treachery to the kingdom of Christ. The Church is firmly and decidedly to hold
her principles before the whole heavenly universe and the kingdoms of the
world; [this] steadfast fidelity in maintaining the honor…of God will attract
the notice and admiration of even the world. Testimonies to Ministers, p. 17.
This long needed return to fidelity remains as our
greatest challenge and most pressing opportunity.
The purpose of this paper is not to address the sad
failings of ourselves and of our Church, which have kept us Adventists
wandering and dying in this sinful wilderness for much longer than the 40 years
of ancient Israel. (Despite this protracted delay, many who’ve died and will
yet die in the message will be saved and rise in either the special, or the
first resurrections.) Instead it will focus on what is today being proposed by
some members and even a few thought leaders in our Church as the panacea that
will effectively bring us back into God’s special favor as His chosen people,
and thus hasten our Lord’s glorious return.
It is postulated by some inter alia that an outright rejection
in practice by the Seventh Day Adventist Church of the Feast Days embodied in
the ceremonial law system as given through Moses, poses a primary act of
insubordination which - alongside the other serous compromises of the Church -
have brought down upon contemporary Adventism God’s frown and disfavor. Consequently, it is implied that an effectual and
widespread reform in this one area of disobedience, will in turn serve as a
primary catalyst to usher in the long needed reforms in all other areas.
Logically a few questions must be posed here. Did the
practice of these ceremonial feasts and associated rites serve as a potent
force to ensure that theocratic Israel and in turn kingly governed Judah and
Israel would not engage in compromises with and accommodation of the pagan
practices that surrounded them as a people? Anyone with even a rudimentary
knowledge of Old Testament history knows very well that generally such was not
the case. And when the King of glory walked upon the pathways of Palestine
engaged on His mission of mercy to fallen humanity, did the assiduous practice
of the Feast Day ceremonies ensure that the church of Israel embraced and
honored her Messiah? We all know very well what happened to the divine-human
Son of God.
This leads us to pose a set of basic thought questions
seeking an understanding on the role that the prospective restitution of Feast
Day ceremonies could play in ensuring or actualizing the following needed
reforms in Adventism:
·
How will it
actualize the long delayed reformation in our medical and educational systems?
·
How will it expel the
relentless beat of rock music from many of our churches and camp meetings?
·
How will it reverse
the all too common use of flesh foods, and other critical violations of the
health message, including the use of fermented wines by “liberated” Adventists?
·
How will it heal our
church of selfishness, the loss of dress standards and obsessive materialism?
·
How will it free us
from the growing fixation with pleasure-seeking, and the demands for unbroken
entertainment that now dominate our lives by day and by night?
·
How will it
eliminate the break up of homes and restore the lives
broken thereby?
·
How will it serve to
accelerate and expand the finishing of the Great Commission and thus hasten
Christ’s return?
Relative
to these key areas of concern in our Church, I don’t see any logic or
reasonable basis to conclude that a widespread restoration of Feast Days among
our people is the appropriate and essential remedy that God calls for.
Alternatively, I do believe the answer lies in a simple and humble acceptance
of the divine prognosis and prescription as embodied in the message to Laodicea
(Rev. 3:14-18), viz. our willing submission and surrender to God’s sovereign
Spirit and the particulars of His expressed will. We are aptly warned “It is
human pride and self-confidence, mingled with human depravity, that has
enfeebled the churches… All resistance of God, all departures from virtue and
truth, pervert the faith as well as the morals, while conformity to God’s
revealed will always increases faith and knowledge.” Review & Herald Vol. 2 243-244
09/04/1888.
All
ceremony aside, the highest form of worship is a life actuated by the singular
purpose of fully honoring and obeying the God whom we
claim to serve. This must encompass a daily heartfelt confession and total
forsaking of worldly compromises by the laity, educators and leaders of our
Church. It will also necessitate an intelligent seeking for and integration of
His super-ordinate will, principles and methods in every dimension of our
personal lives, and in the corporate service of our Church institutions. This
and this alone will permit our longsuffering Creator to fully shower the long
delayed blessing of the latter rain upon His Remnant Church. Only then can we
be empowered and enabled - fair as the moon, clear as the sun and awesome as
an army with banners - to vanquish the kingdom of darkness and in the
unwonted power of the Loud Cry finally finish our Master’s work on this sad and
sick earth. Indeed, we have this blessed assurance “If the church will put
on the robe of Christ's righteousness, withdrawing from all allegiance with the
world, there is before her the dawn of a bright and glorious day. God's promise
to her will stand fast forever. He will make her an eternal excellency,
a joy of many generations.” Acts
of the Apostles p. 601
A few select texts are employed by Feast Day proponents
to make a case for New Testament Christian observance of these rituals.
However, in the entire New Testament post-Gospel record there is only one
explicit reference found in Acts 18:21, to a Christian (the apostle Paul)
expressing his intent to “keep” a Feast Day. This statement was made to
a group of still unconverted Jews in their synagogue at Ephesus. It is found in
Syrian or Majority Text based translations, such as the KJV and NKJV, but is missing in NU based versions such as the NIV. We need to bear in mind Paul’s avowed strategy to win
both Jews and Gentiles. He asserts “…to the Jews I became a Jew, that I
might win Jews; to those under the law, as under the law, that I might win
those under the law, to those who are without the law [Gentiles], as without
the law…I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save
some.” I Cor. 9:19-22 This portrays his stratagem to
convert Jews and Gentiles by openly fitting into their respective culture
systems, without denying Christ in the process.
He knew of the impending destruction of Jerusalem,
the temple, and the soon termination of the Jewish ritual system. Time was
swiftly running out for the Jews, and it was not unreasonable that he (and
other Jewish Christians looking for practical evangelistic opportunities) would
seek to be present at the festivals as an opportunity to maximize their
prospective audience. For example,
Acts 20:16 speaks of Paul being in a hurry to be at Jerusalem at the time of
Pentecost. Additionally, the following passage intimates
that Paul knew that because the full meaning of the ancient rites were now made
clear by the Gospel, he could take advantage of such events as an ideal
platform to proclaim Christ’s great antitypical sacrifice and high priestly
ministry.
Paul
had prided himself upon his Pharisaical strictness; but after the revelation of
Christ to him on the road to Damascus the mission of the Saviour and his own
work in the conversion of the Gentiles were plain to his mind, and he fully
comprehended the difference between a living faith and a dead formalism. Paul
still claimed to be one of the children of Abraham, and kept the Ten
Commandments in letter and in spirit as faithfully as he had ever done before
his conversion to Christianity. But he knew that the typical ceremonies must
soon altogether cease, since that which they had shadowed forth had come to
pass, and the light of the gospel was shedding its glory upon the
Jewish religion, giving a new significance to its ancient rites. Spirit of Prophecy, Vol. 3 p. 371
Christian Elders at Jerusalem spoke to Paul informing him
that Jewish converts “zealous” to defend the law “…have been
informed about you, that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to
forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, nor to
walk according to the customs.” Acts 21:21 A little further in the
narrative in verse 28 we find Jews from Asia uniformly accusing Paul of
teaching “all men everywhere” things that are opposed to both the law
and the temple. We are certain that he never questioned the immutable authority
of the Decalogue, so they are obviously referring to the law of Moses. Since
the law transmitted by Moses actually refers to three distinct and separate
areas i.e. moral civil conduct, natural law prescription, and typical ceremonies
it must have been the latter that he was challenging. When given the clear
linkage made by his accusers of his opposing the temple and its services, this
is assuredly the only reasonable conclusion.
Much later upon his arrival in Rome “Paul called
the leaders of the Jews together” and he claimed to have committed nothing
against the “customs of our fathers, yet was I delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem
into the hands of the Romans…. [and] because of the hope of Israel I am
bound with this chain.” Acts 28:17 & 20. In reference to his
widespread work of exalting the Christ who is both the foundation and
fulfillment of the ceremonial and typical services, Paul could affirm with all
good conscience that he was not advocating a violation of the Mosaic “customs”,
but rather proclaiming their full and glorious realization.
I would like to conclude this section with a relevant
quote from John Wesley:
The ritual or ceremonial law, delivered by Moses to the
children of Israel, containing all the injunctions and ordinances which related
to the old sacrifices and services of the temple, our Lord did indeed come to
destroy… But the moral law contained in the Ten Commandments, and enforced by
the prophets, He did not take away. To this bear all the apostles witness, not
only Barnabas and Paul, who vehemently withstood those [Jewish believers] who
taught that Christians ought 'to keep the law of Moses' (Acts 15: 5).
Not only St. Peter, who termed the insisting on this, on the observance of the
ritual law, a “tempting of God”, and “putting a yoke upon the neck of the
disciples, which neither our fathers”, said he, “nor we were able to bear” (verse
10). But “all the apostles, elders, and brethren, being assembled with one
accord”, declared that to command them to keep this law, was to subvert their
souls; and that “it seemed good to the Holy Ghost” and to them “to lay no such
burden upon them” (verse 28). This “handwriting of ordinances” our Lord
did “blot out”, take away, and nail to His cross. - Sermons on Several
Occasions, Volume 1, Sermon 25
One key proponent of the Feast Days has sought to portray
the memorial Sabbath instituted at the Creation as an integral part of the
ceremonial ritual system. (see: Apologia, Sabbath Conference Special Vol. 2,
No. 1) This supposition is primarily derived from the fact that the
weekly Sabbath is mentioned in the 3rd verse of Leviticus
23 which chapter subsequently delineates the annual typical feast day
observances. In fact this view is promulgated in order to convince
Adventists that they can’t with consistency honor God’s weekly Sabbath, while dishonoring or disregarding the Feast Day typical or shadow
sabbaths. It bears noting that the ceremonial sabbaths were fixed days in the
annual Jewish calendar, and occurred on the various days of the week, even as
modern holidays do in this era. In the holy scriptures God differentiates very
clearly between the Sabbath He blessed and sanctified at the Creation, and the
complex of typical sabbaths. (For a complete exegetical overview of this
and related issues, please refer to Annex II – Ch 6 excerpt from The
True Sabbath By: R. Cottrel)
On page
9 of their publication, the same proponents state “The Colossians
text (2:14-17) doesn’t show the abrogation of the Sabbath; rather it
proves that the Sabbath was being observed (with the holy days and new
moons)!” The writer is so determined to place the creation Sabbath into
the feast days (as a means of legitimizing them) that he totally confuses
Paul’s point in this passage, by erroneously indicating that the apostle is
identifying the weekly sabbath as a “shadow” and not the ritual Sabbaths of the
ceremonial system. Please excuse my crude language, but this is total
unbiblical claptrap. It is indeed accurate to say that the creation Sabbath was
being observed by all Jews (whether Christian or not) as well as the Gentile
Christians. However, this reference clearly refers to the typical shadow
sabbaths, festivals and new moons that were still being assiduously observed by
unconverted Jews, who were using the Christian rejection of these festivals as
a basis for judgment against Christians and the rejection of Christianity.
Additionally, there were apparently some Jewish converts who were still
clinging on to these ceremonies, including the need for circumcision, and who
were being judgmental toward those who had either abandoned them (Jewish
believers) or failed to adopt them (Gentile believers).
With this background in mind Paul’s letter points out
that through the gospel “you were also circumcised…by the circumcision of
Christ… [who] has wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against
us…and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross… So let no
man judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or
sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.”
Excerpted from Colossians 2: 11-17. This unfair judgmentalism that Paul addresses, obviously relates to
accusations of omission and not commission. Furthermore, in Ephesians 2:15
the apostle Paul reaffirms his point that Christ “abolished…the law of
commandments [written by Moses hand] contained in ordinances
[ceremonies and rituals].”
When we really want to believe something it is very easy
to self-deceptively read into a reference more than what is intended by the
writer. As a rule, unfounded assumptions precipitate poor exegesis.
It is contended by feast day advocates that the Hebrew
word “moed” or “mow’ed”
translated “seasons” in the Genesis 1:14 (KJV) account of the creation of
earth’s solar system, definitively refers to the establishment of the “holy
days” or festivals, and thus the festival calendar. This Hebrew word is
actually employed 213 times in the entire Old Testament. It means (in general
terms) an appointed time and/or place. In the authorized King James version of
the Old Testament it is translated into the following English words the number
of times indicated:
|
“congregation” 150 |
|
“feast” 23 |
|
“seasons” 13 |
|
“appointed” 12 |
|
“assembly” 4 |
|
“solemnity” 4 |
|
“solemn” 2 |
|
“days” 1 |
|
“sign” 1 |
|
“synagogues” 1 |
Based on a challengeable presupposition that there can be
only one meaning for a Hebrew word, the position is taken that “the festival
calendar was in place before sin… [and] will be in place after sin”. To the
contrary, it is apparent that to affirm that this Hebrew term must always and
only mean “feast” or “festival” is both indefensible and manifestly
absurd. To ascertain a particular meaning for this word’s usage in the holy
scriptures, it is vital to take into account the full context. There was
only one time related statute designed and established by God at the
creation to be observed by humanity for eternity. The weekly memorial
Sabbath law was pronounced in the clearest terms by the Creator in Genesis
2: 2-3. As for the annual feast days, the Creation record is understandably
silent, and furthermore there is no Biblical or Spirit of Prophecy record of
the observance of any of these festivities in either the antediluvian period of
earth’s history, or in the time period preceding Sinai.
Furthermore, the question must be posed, how could the
annual festivals be designed for a perfect and unfallen world? The formation of
our planet and its solar system’s heavenly bodies were conceived as part of a
sinless creation that neither presupposed nor anticipated the existence of
sin. Since the festivals were typical ceremonies symbolic of various
elements and phases of the plan of redemption, their establishment were clearly
post-sin and not pre-sin. In retrospection, it is also obvious that there were
no baking ovens under the bushes in Eden, for uncooked tree, bush and vine
plucked foods composed God’s original design for the human dietary. The cooking
of foods - including the baking and frying of bread as we know it in human
history - were in consequence of sin. How could a feast of “unleavened
bread” be celebrated in a perfect and unfallen paradise?
Additionally, the annual festivals associated with the
harvest and ingathering of food would make no sense in an unfallen world. In
the perfect creation, throughout the solar year there was a perfect spring-like
climate from pole to pole, consequently contrasting seasonal temperature and
moisture changes were entirely unknown. Indeed, the natural
creation afforded on a daily basis a profusion of ripening foods, that did not
require any cooking. This food was gathered day in and day out all year round
for immediate consumption, thus precluding the phenomena of both seasonal
harvest and post-harvest food storage. An annual time of harvest would not
serve any purpose in such a perfect world, and thus did not exist. It is only
reasonable to conclude that in the earth made new we will be returned to such
pristine conditions, and will thus not be concerned with annual harvest
celebrations, cooking stoves, or dishwashers.
As a final point, both the command to observe the “Feast
of Harvest” to be held in consequence of the firstfruits of “your labors sown in the field” Exodus 23: 16 and the
annual “Feast of Ingathering” “when you have gathered in the fruit of your labors from the field” Exodus 23:16, inescapably
allude to God’s post sin pronouncement “Cursed is the ground… in toil
shall you eat of it all the days of your life… in the sweat of your face
you shall eat bread” Gen 3: 17-19. In the pre-fall world, sweat induced labor
was not in any way associated with the production of food for humanity.
A pivotal factor in the acceptance or rejection by
Adventists of the reinstitution of Feast Day practice is the perceived posture
of the Spirit of Prophecy on this issue. Seventh day Adventists take very
seriously the clear admonition “Despise not prophesyings.
Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” 1 Thess. 5:20&21
SDAs who conscientiously oppose this movement have
understandably raised the point that if God intended these ceremonial
observances to be a pillar of truth and practice in the Remnant Church, than
why did our Church pioneers – including Ellen and James White – uniformly go
wrong by failing to embrace, teach and practice such rites? In response to this
obvious objection, a letter that has been widely distributed by a Feast Days
advocacy organization called Sabbath More Fully, it is therein
propositioned that Ellen White “knew and understood the truth” about
God’s intention to restore the “observance of the ancient feasts”. The
reason as to why she did not do so is because God’s messenger always let others
lead in initiating reformatory measures, and secondly this didn’t happen
because God in His wisdom knew that it wasn’t the right time.
These sweeping assumptions strike me as being both
unfounded and unproven. This is particularly the case when we consider that all
that would have been necessary in order to resolve the matter, was for her to
express God’s intentions on this issue simply and clearly in a sentence or two.
The idea of a God-fearing prophet knowing what is right and then intentionally
not telling anyone in plain language about it, is incongruous. Also,
attributing to her the attribute of cowardice as she waited around for someone
else to do the right thing is equally absurd. A systematic search of her
massively voluminous published and unpublished books, letters and articles
reveals that such a revelation, or even such a sentiment does not exist.
Based upon the following inspired statement Feast Day Advocates
postulate that God’s messenger at least explicitly called for the reinstitution
of the ancient Feast of Tabernacles. They then say that in order to be
consistent with inspiration, all three major annual feasts should be observed
by Seventh Day Adventist Christians. “Well would it be for us to have a
feast of tabernacles, a joyous commemoration of the blessings of God to us as a
people.” It sure sounds clear doesn’t it? Well let’s consider the whole
statement so that we see it in context.
Well would it be for us to have a feast
of tabernacles, a joyous commemoration of the blessings of God to us as a
people. As the children of Israel celebrated the deliverance that God wrought
for their fathers, and his miraculous preservation of them during their
journeyings from Egypt to the promised land, so should the people of God at the
present time gratefully call to mind the various ways he has devised to bring
them out from the world, out from the darkness of error, into the precious
light of truth. We should often bring to remembrance the dependence upon God of
those who first led out in this work. We should gratefully regard the old
way-marks, and refresh our souls with memories of the loving-kindness of our
gracious Benefactor. Second Advent Review and Sabbath Herald,
November 17, 1885, Article Title: The Grace and Mercy of God.
God’s messenger tells us that at the “…Feast of Tabernacles
thousands of cattle were slain, and their blood caught by the priests and
poured upon the altar”. The following scripture reference alludes to this:
"They kept also the feast of tabernacles, as it is written, and offered
the daily burnt offerings by number, according to the custom, as the duty of
every day required… From the first day of the seventh month began they to offer
burnt offerings unto the Lord.” Ezra 3:4-6 Is this what the Lord’s
messenger is calling for us to today engage in? Obviously it is important that
we let her writings speak for themselves as to what she intended to mean when
she placed a call for us to “have a feast of tabernacles” to bring to
remembrance God’s leading of us as a people. The following two references speak
for themselves.
The forces of the
enemies are strengthening, and as a people we are misrepresented; but shall we
not gather our forces together, and come up to the feast of tabernacles? Let us
not treat this matter as one of little importance, but let the army of the Lord
be on the ground to represent the work and cause of God in Australia. Let no
one plead an excuse at such a time. One of the reasons why we have appointed
the camp-meeting to be held at Melbourne, is that we desire the people of that
vicinity to become acquainted with our doctrines and works.… Therefore come to
the camp-meeting, even though you have to make a sacrifice to do so, and the
Lord will bless your efforts to honor his cause and advance his work. Bible
Echo and Signs of the Times, December 8, 1893, Article Title: Come to the
Feast.
Will
our brethren not come up to the feast of tabernacles? How zealously should
everyone guard the way that leads to the city of God! …The Lord calls you to
put on the armor of righteousness, and come to this second camp meeting to be
held in New Zealand. Come, brethren and sisters, if you have to make a
sacrifice to do so. The Lord will bless you in your efforts. Manuscript
Releases Volume Eleven, page 9, Chapter Title: Ellen White in New Zealand
As exampled above, the Feast Day campaigners have sought
to employ a few key statements from the pen of inspiration as a springboard for
introducing, rationalizing, and legitimizing this practice within Adventism.
However, when we explore the Spirit of Prophecy writings on this issue, a
pivotal factor lies in grasping and properly interpreting the meaning intended
when Ellen White uses key terms such as judgments, statutes, services,
precepts, ordinances, laws, rituals, and ceremonies. Scholars on both sides of
the issue have rationalized and debated various meanings and interpretations of
these terms. Fortunately, this tug of war is something that we really don’t
need to get into. (However, it is essential for us to address the intended
meaning of the term statutes in the next section of this
article.)
The only full-proof interpretation of E.G. White’s
intended meaning would be when she as an inspired author actually defines her
own usage of such terms by linking them to the practice of a typical Feast Day,
and then employs the very same terms in other passages in addressing the
central issue of whether the ceremonial practices - that the terms actually denote
- are still binding on us today as God’s people. Fortunately, such a reference
exists. When it is linked to and compared with other passages on the subject
under consideration the intended meaning becomes crystal clear. In this case, I
am referring to her intended usage of the two key terms “ceremonies” and
“types” in relation to the seven days feast of unleavened bread,
which followed the Passover. (emphases my own)
The Passover was followed by the seven days' feast of unleavened
bread. On the second day of the feast, the first fruits of the year's harvest,
a sheaf of barley, was presented before the Lord. All the ceremonies
of the feast were types of the work of Christ
…the unleavened bread, the sheaf of first fruits, represented the Saviour. Desire of Ages, page 77, paragraph 1 Chapter Title: The Passover
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Now consider the following passages employing the same
two terms i.e. “ceremonies” and/or “types” or “type”.
In
this ordinance [foot washing], Christ discharged his disciples from the
cares and burdens of the ancient Jewish obligations in rites and ceremonies.
These no longer possessed any virtue; for type was
meeting antitype in himself, the authority and foundation of all Jewish
ordinances that pointed to him as the great and only efficacious offering for
the sins of the world….
If his
disciples had not needed this, it would not have been left for them as Christ's
last established ordinance in connection with, and including, the last supper. It
was Christ's desire to leave to his disciples an ordinance that would do for
them the very thing they needed, that would serve to disentangle them from the
rites and ceremonies which they had hitherto engaged in as
essential, and which the reception of the gospel made no longer of any force.
To continue these rites would be an insult to Jehovah. Eating of the
body, and drinking of the blood, of Christ, not merely at the sacramental
service, but daily partaking of the bread of life to satisfy the soul's hunger,
would be in receiving his word and doing his will. EGW
- Review &
Herald, June
14, 1898
paragraphs 16 & 17
The
Jews had prided themselves upon their divinely appointed services; and they
concluded that as God once specified the Hebrew manner of worship, it was
impossible that He should ever authorize a change in any of its specifications.
They decided that Christianity must connect itself with the Jewish laws and ceremonies.
They were slow to discern to the end of that which had been abolished
by the death of Christ… in which type had met its
antitype, rendering valueless the divinely appointed ceremonies
and sacrifices of the Jewish religion. Spirit of Prophecy, Vol. 3 p. 370
There are numerous other similarly worded references which
make the same point of abolishment of the “ceremonies” and “types”,
and they are appended as Annex II. However, the following two references
are included because one issue that some Feast Day proponents make is that the
concept and designation of “ceremonial law” as distinguished from “moral law”
is aberrant and deviant. This construct is said to have formed the basis of
Protestant theology employed against weekly Sabbath observance, and which
Adventists today employ against Feast Day observance. To summarize their
position, “This theology of the law that attempts to justify the abrogation of
festival observance based upon a division of the law of God into two monolithic
divisions of ‘moral’ and ‘ceremonial’ was not part of early church theology and
was unknown as it is unbiblical.” Apologia, Sabbath Conference Special Vol.
2, No. 1, pp. 5&6
What does the Lord’s messenger say?
There are two distinct
laws brought to view. One is the law of types and
shadows, which reached to the time of Christ, and ceased when type
met antitype in his death. The other is the law of Jehovah, and is as
abiding and changeless as his eternal throne…. Hence the ceremonial
law ceased to be of force at the death of Christ. EGW - The Signs of the Times, July 29, 1886, Article
Title: Christ and the Law
But there is a law
which was abolished, which Christ "took out of the way, nailing it to his
cross." Paul calls it "the law of commandments contained in
ordinances." This ceremonial law, given by God through
Moses, with its sacrifices and ordinances, was to be binding upon the
Hebrews until type met antitype in the death of Christ as the Lamb of
God to take away the sin of the world. Then all the sacrificial offerings
and services were to be abolished. Paul and the other apostles labored to
show this, and resolutely withstood those Judaizing
teachers who declared that Christians should observe the ceremonial law.
EGW - Signs of the Times, Sept. 4, 1884,
Article Title: Immutability of the Law of God
In
FD Nichols classic book Answers to Objections (pp. 18
& 19) he observes that the Decalogue was not the only law formally set
forth by God at Sinai for there was also specified a ritual code known as the “ceremonial
laws” that specified the “religious ritual” that Israel should follow. This
included “their sacrifices and offerings, their annual feast-days, [and] the
duties of the priesthood.” He then points out that there were also a set
of “civil laws” designed to govern Israel as a nation, such as laws on
“marriage, divorce, slave holding, property” etc. To the extent that the
understanding and willingness of Israel allowed, the “Lord caused these civil
statutes to reflect the perfect idea expressed in the ten-commandment law”.
Since the ceremonial law, and the civil statutes, were written by
Moses hand, and by him given to the people, they are generally spoken of in the
Bible as "the law of Moses" even though they are obviously
distinctive and separate. (Nichols fails to mention that there were as
well natural laws articulated through Moses governing diet, hygiene,
agriculture, etc.)
In
Ellen White’s affirmation of the modern day relevance and validity of the 10
commandment principles as embodied and amplified in the civil and natural law
systems written by Moses, she consistently uses the term “statutes”
and sometimes “judgments”. The two terms are often used together in
scripture, one could say as a form of Hebraic emphasis or repetition.
Some E.G. White statements using these terms have been quoted and then
misunderstood and misapplied by Feast day proponents as an endorsement of
contemporary Feast Day practice.
Also
in the letter previously noted as distributed by Sabbath More Fully, the
argument is made that the term “statutes” define our duty to God
and the “judgments” our duty to man. In this view statutes
are spiritual duties, whereas judgments are civil duties. Furthermore,
it is argued that the former can and does encompass ceremonial practices -
including Feast Days thus legitimizing their modern day practice - whereas the
latter are strictly civil in nature. Such an interpretation is patently
unjustified and indefensible. For one thing, the Decalogue represents 10
comprehensive statutes that articulately define our spiritual
duty toward God, and our civil duty toward man. These divine statutes
are the foundation of advanced civil law in most nations of the world today.
In
the early chapters of the book Patriarchs and Prophets there are eight
separate pre-Sinai historical references (beginning with Lucifer’s rebellion in
Heaven) to the divine “statutes” in direct reference to God’s
eternal moral law. God’s own testimony respecting His faithful pre-Sinai
patriarch is, "Abraham obeyed My voice, and kept My charge, My
commandments, My statutes, and My laws." Gen. 26:5
Abraham’s noted observance obviously occurred several centuries before the
typical ceremonies were introduced to the people of Israel.
The next quote clearly shows that God’s messenger is
employing the term “statutes” to apply to the 10 Commandment Law
and speaks of it contextual to safeguarding the integrity of civil society.
“The teaching which has become so widespread, that the divine statutes
are no longer binding upon men, is the same as idolatry in its effect upon the
morals of the people. Those who seek to lessen the claims of God's holy law are
striking directly at the foundation of the government of families and
nations.” Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 143
That the term “statutes” should not be
divorced from the issue of applying civil “judgments” is reflected in the
following passage. Moses in assuming the role of magistrate, was overwhelmed by
the volume of disputes that arose among the people all of which were referred
to him. The Lord’s Messenger tells us:
He had permitted this, for it gave him an opportunity to
instruct them; as he said, "I do make them know the statutes
of God, and His laws." But Jethro
remonstrated against this, saying, "This thing is too heavy for thee; thou
art not able to perform it thyself alone." "Thou wilt surely wear
away," and he counseled Moses to appoint proper
persons as rulers of thousands, and others as rulers of hundreds, and others of
tens.… These were to judge in all matters of minor consequence, while the most
difficult and important cases should still be brought before Moses… Patriarchs
and Prophets, p. 301
We
are told that God at Sinai commanded Moses to write under His dictation
precise:
…. directions in regard to what he required them to
perform, and thereby guarded the ten precepts which he had engraved upon the
tables of stone. These specific directions and requirements were given to
draw erring man to the obedience of the moral law, which he is so prone to
transgress. If man had kept the law of God, as given to Adam after his fall…
there would have been no necessity of God's proclaiming his law from Sinai, and
engraving it upon tables of stone, and guarding it by definite directions in
the judgments and statutes given to Moses. Moses wrote these
judgments and statutes from the mouth of God while he was with
him in the mount. Spirit of Prophecy, pp. 264 & 265, Vol. 1
The following admonition is given to Israel, where in the
days of the prophet Amos the true worship of heartfelt obedience to God’s
express moral statutes have been compromised and largely
forsaken. Because they observe the Feast Days and corresponding sacrifices, the
people are at ease in Zion under a false sense of security thinking that their
adherence to the typical rituals is well pleasing to God. However, God makes it
very clear that His primary concern and priority for His people is moral
rectitude, and that He finds their ceremonial observances totally abhorrent. “I
know your manifold transgressions and your mighty sins…for it is an evil time.
Seek good and not evil that you may live… I hate, I despise your Feast Days,
and I do not savor your sacred assemblies. Though you
offer Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them.” Amos
5: 12-14 & 21-22.
In describing the sinner’s return to a life of submission
to God’s moral statutes and correlative civil obedience Ezekial tells us: "If the wicked restore the pledge,
give again that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life, without
committing iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die." Ezekiel
33:15
Aside from its obviously bankrupt theological basis in the
Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy, there are other areas of practical concern
pertaining to the phenomena of Feast Days adoption within Adventism. I raise
the following two examples not because I believe that most Feast Day supporters
may be taking such extreme positions as these two persons (whom I happen to
know) have, but rather because this shows the kind of thinking that being
obsessed with these ceremonial practices and their promulgation can lead people
into.
A personal friend who drifted into this movement has
since become an ardent proselytizer and advocate of the practice. He even goes
so far as to claim that Seventh Day Adventists Christians who fail to embrace
and practice the Feast Days are thereby forfeiting their eternal salvation. He
rationalizes this because to disregard God’s requirements, is to be held liable
for the sin of rebellion and the omission of a revealed sacred duty. The
question should be posed as to whether this kind of deduction – in the context
of adhering to the Feast Day ceremonies - represents a works based view of
attaining salvation. In any event, if God does not actually expect or command
the post-Calvary practice of these ceremonies among His people, then to
promulgate the view that today massive numbers of SDAs
are forfeiting their eternal salvation over their negligence to do so is to
engage in irresponsible and baseless fear mongering.
Another SDA acquaintance and Feast Days advocate (a
health professional with a doctorate – so no moron) has now placed on her agenda
the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem and has expressed that she is not
averse to the reinstitution of animal sacrifices. She also advocates that SDAs need to obtain a Hebrew name and abandon Gentile forms
of worship. I know that some ultra-orthodox Jews are pushing for the
blasphemous agenda of temple rebuilding and Old Testament prescribed
sacrifices, but that at least one “highly educated” Seventh Day Adventist
Christian has the same goal is truly incredible. Need I say more?
Another
logical concern is the practicality of proclaiming the Three Angels Message. Is
this divinely mandated message now going include a call to return to the shadow
sabbaths as well as the weekly Sabbath of creation? If this were to
become a pre-conditional belief for SDA membership would this not prove for
most who are still in the various fallen Christian churches, an overwhelming
and insurmountable barrier to joining the end time Advent movement? Could this
not put the brakes on the successes being realized in global evangelism? If we
were to concede that it is a divinely ordained requirement for all true SDA
Christians today, than do we not face the prospective tragedy that millions who
otherwise would have accepted the message to come out of Babylon, will fail to do
so and end up missing out on the gift of everlasting life?
Finally it must be asked: Is this discovery of “new
light” introduced to members in our beloved Church from non-SDA Church
source(s), nothing more than a brilliant stratagem of the enemy to create
further disharmony within the Remnant Church, employing the tried and proven
tactic of divide and conquer? We are aptly warned: “Many things will be
presented that appear to be true, and yet they need to be considered with much
prayer; for they may be specious devices of the enemy.” Testimonies Vol. 8,
p. 290
Since the Feast Days were typical ceremonies, and not
natural law or civil statute based explications of how to put
into daily practice the principles of the eternal moral code, it does not
follow that there is any unequivocal basis in either the sacred scriptures or
the Spirit of Prophecy for engaging in the practice of these festive and
sacrificial focused rites by Christians in the post-Calvary era. Speaking
prophetically of His people God says “I will also cause all her mirth to cease,
her feast days, her new moons, her sabbaths – all her appointed feasts… And it
shall be, in that day, says the Lord that you will call Me my Husband, and no
longer call me my Master.” Hosea 2: 11 & 16
For those who may have been misinformed or misled on this
complex and sensitive issue, God’s messenger in a spirit of loving compassion
warns us that “We have many lessons to learn, and many, many to unlearn. God
and heaven alone are infallible. Those who think they will never have to give
up a cherished view, never have occasion to change an opinion, will be
disappointed.” Testimonies To Ministers p. 30
End Note on Drugs as Sorcery:
* The system of medicine that today dominates the
"Western" world (and increasingly the East as well) is allopathy. It is in many respects a religious
belief system, that is actually more theoretical,
philosophic and reductionistic in nature than it
is empirical and holistic (after all when most allopathic medical practitioners
hear about experiential based cases of natural healing success, they dismiss it
disparagingly as being merely "anecdotal" evidence). Allopathy proudly traces its lineage back to Aescalapius who is considered the "god of
medicine". He was the son of Apollo the sun god and a mortal woman
impregnated by this god. The Mediterranean cult surrounding him includes the
belief that a Centaur name Chiron became his tutor and mentor in the healing
arts. After zapping him to death for charging money to raise the
dead, his father's father Zeus made him into a god, transforming Aescalapius into the constellation Ophiuchus
(the serpent-bearer, as the snake was used in his healing rituals). Today the
staff of a single serpent encircling a staff is called the "staff of Aescalapius" used by some medical associations
including the WHO. Many other "medical" organizations
(particularly American) use a symbol of a short rod entwined by two snakes and
topped by a pair of wings, which is actually called the caduceus or magic wand
of the Greek god Hermes, messenger of the gods, inventor of (magical)
incantations, conductor of the dead and protector of merchants and thieves.
This wand is sold at occult, new age & witchcraft stores with descriptions
such as "It's central phallic rod represents the potentiality of the
masculine, and is intimately surrounded by the writhing, woven shakti energies of two coupling serpents. The rod also
represents the spine, while the serpents conduct spiritual currents along
the ida and pingala
channels in a double helix pattern from the chakra at the base of the spine up
to the pineal gland".
The cult of Aescalapius became
very popular during the 4th century BC and the cult centers (called Asclepieion) were used by priests called the Asclepiadae to cure the sick. Invalids also came to the
shrines of Aescalapius to find cures for their
ailments (in the same fashion pilgrims visit Lourdes today.) The process of
healing was known as incubation. The patient would spend the night in a dormitory.
During the night they would supposedly be visited by the god Aescalapius in a dream. Priests would then interpret the
dreams thereby recommending a remedy, or give advice on how they could be
cured.
The pharmaceutical symbol Rx actually used to be an
eye with an "x" below it, instead of an "R", and it
was called the "Eye of Horus." ."(The eye & lower x is
still being used some parts of the world). The Egyptian god Horus was the
"father of pharmacy. He was the son of two of the main gods in the Egyptian
pantheon, Isis and Osiris. The Eye of Horus (or "udjat")
became a powerful symbol in ancient Egypt. It was popularly and superstitiously
worn as an amulet to ensure good health and to ward off sickness.
As to the source of the word pharmacy we should go
back to the original Koinne Greek Bible text. Pharmakeia is a Greek word found in the New Testament that
means pharmacy, magic, sorcery and witchcraft. Its root is pharmakon, which refers to a druggist, poisoner, magician or sorcerer. God clearly states that Pharmakeia (the use of drugs) is a sin in Galatians
5:19-20; "The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality,
impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft/sorcery (pharmakeia)".
Revelation 18:23 refers to all of the nations being deceived by pharmakeia. Revelation 9:21 refers to
those on whom the plagues fall as not having repented of their
"murders, nor of their pharmakeon,
nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts." Revelation 21:8
states that "...murderers, and whoremongers, and pharmakeus,
and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burns
with fire and brimstone.." Revelation 22:15 states that "pharmakos, and whoremongers, and murderers, and
idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie." will be outside of the
New Jerusalem. It bears noting that a year 2000 Johns Hopkin's
report confirms a top estimate of 284,000 deaths annually in the USA caused by
allopathic medical treatment. These deaths were primarily the consequence
of prescribed treatment modalities, and not accidents. Thus iatrogenesis can be ranked as the 3rd leading cause of
death in the nation, i.e. after cardiovascular disease and cancer. (JAMA 2000, 07/26:284-483) It does go without saying
that God's "true remedies" (Ministry of Healing p. 127) would
have brought to these hundreds of thousands of people life and not death.
Annex I
Supplemental Spirit of Prophecy
Quotations Pertaining
to Hebrew Feast-Day Rites &
Ceremonies
They (some Jewish Christians) were slow to discern that all the sacrificial offerings had but prefigured the death of the Son of God, in which type met antitype, and after which the rites and ceremonies of the Mosaic dispensation were no longer binding.
Before
his conversion Paul had regarded himself as blameless "touching the
righteousness which is in the law." Philippians 3:6. But since his
change of heart he had gained a clear conception of the mission of the Saviour
as the Redeemer of the entire race, Gentile as well as Jew, and had learned the
difference between a living faith and a dead formalism. In the light of the
gospel the ancient rites and ceremonies committed to Israel had gained a new
and deeper significance. That which they shadowed forth had come to pass, and
those who were living under the gospel dispensation had been freed from their
observance. God's unchangeable law of Ten Commandments, however, Paul still
kept in spirit as well as in letter. Act of the Apostles pp. 189 & 190
After Christ died on
the cross as a sin offering, the ceremonial law could have no force. Yet
it was connected with the moral law, and was glorious. Advent Review and
Sabbath Herald, April 22, 1902, paragraph 9 - Article Title: The
Righteousness of Christ in the Law
The Jewish
ceremonial law has passed away. The
temple is in ruins. Jerusalem was given up to be destroyed. But the law of the
ten commandments lives, and will live through the eternal ages. The need for
the service of sacrifices and offerings ceased when type met anti-type in the
death of Christ. In him the shadow reached the substance. The Lamb of God
was a complete and perfect offering. Types and shadows, offerings and
sacrifices, had no virtue after Christ's death on the cross… Advent
Review and Sabbath Herald, October 10, 1899, paragraph 9 - Article Title:
This Do, and Thou Shalt Live
We have the types
and the shadows in the ceremonial laws, and these were to last until
they should meet the reality. The sacrificial offerings were continually
revealing the fact that Christ was coming to our world, and when type met
antitype in the death of Christ, then the sacrificial offerings, typifying
Christ, were no more of any value, but the royal law of God could not be
changed. … There is no shadow in the precepts of the decalogue.
The ten commandments are not a type. Advent Review and Sabbath
Herald, July 15, 1890, paragraph 5 - Article Title: Obedience to the Law
Necessary
The ceremonial system
was made up of symbols pointing to Christ, to His sacrifice and His priesthood.
This ritual law, with its sacrifices and ordinances, was to be performed by the
Hebrews until type met antitype in the death of Christ, the Lamb of God that
taketh away the sin of the world. Then all the sacrificial offerings were to
cease. It is this law that Christ "took . . . out of the way, nailing it
to His cross." Colossians 2:14. But concerning the law of Ten
Commandments the psalmist declares, "Forever, O Lord, Thy word is settled
in heaven." Psalm 119:89. Patriarchs and Prophets, page
365, paragraph 1 Chapter Title: The Law and the Covenants
When the Jews held
their services of thanksgiving, after the ingathering of nature's treasure,
they offered sacrifices to God. To us it might seem strange that sacrificial
offerings should have formed so important a part of the universal rejoicing;
and to outward appearance, it was a strange combination to mingle the sacrifice
of beasts with the expressions of joy. But this was built upon the true
foundation; for Christ himself was the object of these ceremonial services.
When, in these festal gatherings, blood was shed, and offerings were made to
God, the people were not only thanking him for his present mercies, but they
were thanking him for the promise of a Saviour, and by this expressing the
truth that without the shedding of the blood of the Son of God, there could be
no forgiveness of sins. Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, November
24, 1896, paragraph 5 Article Title: The Right Use of God's Gifts
In instituting the
sacramental service to take the place of the Passover, Christ left for His
church a memorial of His great sacrifice for man. "This do," He said, "in remembrance of
Me." This was the point of transition between two economies and their
two great festivals. The one was to close forever; the other, which He
had just established, was to take its place, and to continue through all
time as the memorial of His death.—Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, June
22, 1897
After the
crucifixion, it was a denial of Christ for the Jews to continue to offer the
burnt offerings and sacrifices which were typical of his death. It was saying to the world that they looked for a
Redeemer to come, and had no faith in Him who had given his life for the sins
of the world. Hence the ceremonial law ceased to be of force at the death of
Christ. The Signs of the Times, July 29, 1886, paragraph 4 Article
Title: Christ and the Law
The whole system of types and symbols was a compacted
prophecy of the gospel, a presentation in which were bound up the promises
of redemption. The Acts of the Apostles, p. 14
When
Jesus at His ascension entered by His own blood into the heavenly sanctuary to
shed upon His disciples the blessings of His mediation, the Jews were left in
total darkness to continue their useless sacrifices and offerings. The
ministration of types and shadows had ceased. That door by which men had
formerly found access to God was no longer open. The Jews had refused to seek
Him in the only way whereby He could then be found, through the ministration in
the sanctuary in heaven. Christ in His Sanctuary p. 44
Annex II
The True Sabbath
Excerpts from Chapter 6: The
Shadowy Sabbaths (pp. 18-20)
By: Raymond Cottrel
(1942)
In New Testament times…disciples of Christ found themselves struggling
between two extreme classes of religionists. The orthodox Jews together with
many of the converts from Judaism, clung tenaciously to the traditions,
superstitions, and ceremonies of their fathers, and zealously sought to force
all these upon the early Christians. On the other hand, paganism with its
multitude of degrading rites, its subtle arts and gilded pomp, menaced the
infant church; and from the hour of its birth stood ready to swallow it up.
Between these two opposing systems…the followers of Christ were to walk the
straight and narrow way…
Three times each year all Israel was to assemble for worship at
the sanctuary in Jerusalem. The Passover, a memorial of the deliverance from
Egypt and a forecast of the greater deliverance through the world's Redeemer,
was celebrated in the early spring. Fifty days later came the feast of harvest,
or Pentecost; and in the autumn, when the year's work in field, orchard, and
vineyard was completed, the day of atonement and the feast of tabernacles were
observed. In connection with each of these gatherings were annual Sabbaths,
hallowed by Jehovah, and concerning which He solemnly charged His people,
"You shall do no servile work therein." Leviticus 23:7. See also
verses 21,25, & 35.
These ceremonial Sabbaths were wholly separate and
distinct from the weekly rest day that was established in ancient Eden as a
memorial of creation. After enumerating the various annual assemblies and
Sabbaths, the divine record continues: "These are the feasts of the Lord,
which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by
fire unto the Lord, a burnt offering, and a meat offering, a sacrifice, and
drink offerings, every thing upon his day. Beside the
Sabbaths of the Lord, and beside your gifts, and beside all your vows, and
beside all your freewill offerings, which you give unto the Lord."
Leviticus 23:37 & 38.
Note carefully these words of Inspiration. Lest anyone
should confuse the two, God Himself makes clear the distinction between the
yearly and the weekly rest days, and enjoins Israel to observe all of these
holy annual convocations "beside the Sabbaths of the Lord." Again,
the ceremonial Sabbaths were fixed days in the annual Jewish calendar, and
occurred on the various days of the week, even as the Fourth of July and
Christmas do now.
The seventh day Sabbath was instituted in the beginning
before the entrance of sin; while the yearly Sabbaths were not appointed until
twenty-five hundred years later. (Genesis 2:1-3; Leviticus 23:4-44) The seventh
day Sabbath is presented to man as an essential part of the moral law that
defines sin; the others were given to Israel as object lessons of God's remedy
for sin. (Exodus 20:3-17; Leviticus 16:29-34) The seventh-day Sabbath was
proclaimed by the Lord Himself from Mount Sinai, was written by the finger of
God on the tablet of stone, and formed a part of the royal law that reposed in
the sacred ark of the covenant. The other Sabbaths, being part of the
temporary, typical system, were rehearsed to Moses, who wrote of them in a
book, which was placed in the side of the ark. (Exodus 20:1-17; Deuteronomy
4:13,14; 10:1-5; Exodus 24:4,7; Deuteronomy 31:24,26)
The Sabbath of the fourth commandment, as an original
precept of the law of God, stands unchanging and eternal; while the annual
Sabbaths serving as "a figure for the time then present," "a
shadow of good things to come," passed away when Christ offered Himself on
Calvary's cross. Type then gave place to antitype. The true Light appeared, and
the shadows faded away. (Psalm 111:7,8; Isaiah 66:22,23; Hebrews 9:9-11;
10:1-4.)
Accordingly, disciples and Christians who accepted the
Lamb of God as a crucified and risen Savior no longer brought their sacrifices
to be offered upon an altar of stone or of brass. They no longer celebrated the
feast of unleavened bread, the sprinkling of blood, and the Passover Sabbaths;
for, with Paul, they gloried in the knowledge that "Christ our Passover is
sacrificed for us." 1 Corinthians 5:7,8.
No longer with vigils and fasting did they observe the
ancient day of atonement and other ceremonial Sabbaths, for they unhesitatingly
testified, "We also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we
have now received the atonement." Romans 5:11. But the Sabbath of the
commandment established before the entrance of sin, and forming no part
of the shadowy, ceremonial law, remains the same throughout all generations and
dispensations. As Article IV of the "royal law," it is not subject to
amendment or repeal. While the apostle to the Gentiles emphatically proclaimed
that the Levitical ritual had passed away, he adored
the law of God as the very constitution of Christianity. To the Romans, he
said: "Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we
establish the law." Romans 3:31. And again: " The law is holy, and
the commandment holy, and just, and good." Romans 7:12.
With these thoughts in mind we appreciate more fully the
significance of those Sabbath days "which are a shadow of things to come;
but the body is of Christ." Those ritual Sabbaths of old with their
services and symbols, foreshadowed Christ and taught of Him as the coming
Messiah. He was the body, or substance, that cast the shadow. Patriarchs and
prophets of old beheld the shadow, and by faith visioned
the advent of Christ. Such was the meaning of our Lord's words when He said to
the Jews: "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day: and he saw it, and
was glad." John 8: 56.
Many times the question is asked, " But what about the law
that was nailed to the cross?" It could not have been the moral law of ten
precepts, for these define right and wrong, and in their very nature remain the
same from age to age. The New Testament, however, tells of another code which
was abolished: "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." Colossians 2:14. Reference is here made, not to the law of
God, but to "the handwriting of ordinances" that regulated the
sanctuary services, eating, drinking, the annual feasts, and holy days that
were "a shadow of things to come." See verses 16,17. Concerning these
the Bible speaks: "It came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing
the words of this law in a book, until they were finished, that Moses commanded
the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord, saying, Take this
book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord
your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee." Deuteronomy
31: 24-26.
These laws and ordinances may be found in the last
chapters of Exodus, in Leviticus and Deuteronomy, and gave specific instruction
concerning diet, sanitation, the Levitical priesthood,
the temple ritual, and the ceremonial Sabbaths. For example: "Speak unto
the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the
month, shall you have a Sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy
convocation." Leviticus 23:24.
All of that service was Israel's kindergarten " for the
time then present"; but when Christ came and offered Himself on Calvary,
the kindergarten lessons were no longer required. The so-called "law of
Moses," or ceremonial law, had served its purpose; and the Redeemer
"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." Ephesians 2:15.
The sanctuary service and other rites had served as a wall of
separation between Jew and Gentile. They had been the occasion for much
controversy and enmity; but when Christ as the great antitype died upon the
cross, He brought an end to the law of ordinances ' and swept away all
spiritual distinction between Jew and Gentile. (Colossians 3: ll.)
The difference between the two law codes of Scripture is
also clear and obvious. The one is that law which Christ “abolished in His
flesh" (Ephesians 2: 15); the other is the law which He did not come to
destroy (Matthew 5:17). The one is "the law of commandments contained in
ordinances" (Ephesians 2:15); the other law is embraced in the Ten
Commandments, which are presented to both Jew and Gentile alike as embracing
"the whole duty of man" (Ecelesiastes 12:
13).
THE MORAL LAW
THE CEREMONIAL LAW
Is called the "royal
law."
The law contained in ordinances."
(James 2:8.)
(Ephesians 2:15.)
Was spoken by God.
Was spoken by Moses.
(Deuteronomy 4:12,13)
(Leviticus
1:1-3.)
Was written by "the finger of God."
Was written by Moses in a book.
(Ex. 31:18.)
(2 Chron. 35:12)
Is "
perfect."
"Made nothing perfect."
(Psalm
19:7)
(Hebrews 7:l9.)
Is eternal and unchangeable.
Was nailed to the cross.
(Psalm 111:7,8)
(Colossians 2:14.)
Was not destroyed by Christ.
Was abolished by Christ.
(Matthew 5:17)
(Ephesians 2:15)
Was magnified by Christ.
Was taken out of the way by Christ.
(Is. 42:21; Ps. 40:7,8.)
(Col. 2:14.)
Is the divine code that defines sin
Was instituted in consequence of sin.
(Rom. 3:20; 7:7.)
(Lev. 3-7.)
Annex III.
Reinventing Ancient Rituals?
(This
article is taken from the Adventist Review, February 10, 2000 under Bible
Questions Answered section, p. 21.)
Issued
by the Biblical Research Institute - General Conference of Seventh-day
Adventists.
Question - Some church
members where I live are teaching that it is necessary for Christians to
observe Israelite festivals. Is this a biblical requirement?
Answer - Several
Adventist scholars have looked into this subject, and the common conclusion has
been that the Bible does not expect Christians to observe the Jewish festivals.
Let me briefly summarize some of those conclusions.
1.
Festivals and the
Sacrificial System: Each of the
festivals was characterized by the joy of bringing offerings and sacrifices to
the Lord. In Leviticus 23 the different festivals are listed, and their purpose
is summarized with the words "These are the Lord’s appointed feasts, which
you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies for bringing offerings made to the
Lord by fire" (verse 37, NIV). The Hebrew
preposition le (for) is used here to express the idea of purpose. There is no
indication in the Bible that during the festivals a spiritual sacrifice could
take the place of a material one.
2.
Festivals and
Centralized Worship: A number of the festivals
were to be celebrated at the Temple and not anywhere else in Israel. Three
feasts are specifically required to be observed in the Temple, making it
necessary for the people to appear before the Lord; namely, the Feast of
Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles (Deut.
16:16). Even Passover, which was originally a family celebration, was also
centralized and connected with the Temple: "You must not sacrifice the
Passover in any town the Lord your God gives you except in the place he will
choose as a dwelling for his Name" (verse 5, NIV).
The Bible does not allow for the celebration of those festivals anywhere else.
Any attempt to justify their celebration independent of the Israelite Temple is
simply a human determination.
3.
Festivals and the
Calendar: Most of the festivals were
closely tied to the Israelite agricultural calendar. This was clearly the case
with respect to the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which was closely connected to
the Passover (Lev. 23:5-11); the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost; Deut. 16:9, 10;
Lev. 23:15-21); and the Feast of Tabernacles (Ex. 23:16; Deut. 16:13; Lev.
23:33-36). The same applied to the sabbatical years (Ex. 23:10, 11). The
implication is that it was impossible for the Israelites to celebrate some of
these festivals before they entered Canaan. This was particularly the case with
the Feasts of Pentecost and Tabernacles (Ex. 23:16). No exceptions to those
regulations are mentioned in the Bible, thus indicating that the celebration of
those feasts was restricted to those living in the land of Israel. In fact,
Hosea announced that Israel’s exile would make it impossible for them to
celebrate the Lord’s feasts (Hosea 9:1-5).
4.
Festivals and
Ethnic Identity: The religious and
ethnic identity of the Israelites was closely associated with the celebration
of some of the festivals, such as the Passover, which was restricted to
Israelites and to those who through circumcision became Israelites (Ex.
12:43-50). It may well be that the reason the Judaizers
Paul confronted were requiring Christian Gentiles to become Jews by being
circumcised (Acts 15:1); otherwise they could not celebrate Passover and other
festivals and Jewish rituals.
5.
Festivals and
Christians: The New Testament makes
clear that the sanctuary services of the Old Testament came to an end through
the sacrifice of Christ on the cross and through His high-priestly ministry in
the heavenly sanctuary. The ceremonial law was "a shadow of the good
things that are coming - not the realities themselves" (Heb. 10:1, NIV). We no longer abide by the ceremonial Levitical law; we have a new High Priest who does not
belong to the order of Aaron; and "when there is a change of the
priesthood, there must also be a change of the law" (Heb. 7:12). This is
not the law that regulated priestly lineage; it is rather the law that could
not bring perfection (verse 19).
During the apostolic period Jewish Christians may have
observed the festivals, but there is no biblical evidence to support the conclusion
that this was required of Gentile Christians. On the contrary, the Bible
indicates that the celebration of the festivals had geographical and temporal
limitations; their religious function found its fulfillment in Christ.