THE OLD AND NEW COVENANT

The Bible tells of a covenant that God made with Israel around 4000 years ago. It also tells of a new covenant he made almost 2000 years ago. What’s the difference between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant? As always, let’s see what the Bible says.

Deuteronomy 5:2

2. The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb.

Moses says God had made a covenant with them in Horeb. Then he repeats the 10 commandments, which God spoke to them from the mountain, back in Exodus 20. Read these next few verses carefully.

Deuteronomy 4:12-13

12. And the Lord spoke to you out of the midst of the fire: you heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude; you only heard a voice.

13. And He declared to you his covenant, which He commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and he wrote them on two tables of stone.

Deuteronomy 9:11 

11. And it came to pass at the end of forty days and forty nights, that the LORD gave me the two tables of stone, the tables of the covenant.

The Bible plainly says the 10 Commandments is the Covenant that God made with Israel. Did you get that? The 10 Commandments IS the OLD COVENANT. After quoting the 10 Commandments in Deuteronomy 5, Moses said this.

Deuteronomy 5:22

22. These words the Lord spoke to all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice: and he added no more. And he wrote them in two tables of stone, and delivered them to me.

Moses said God spoke the 10 Commandments to the children of Israel, and that’s all he said to them, then he wrote what he had said on two tables stone. The 10 Commandments is the Covenant. The 10 Commandments is the law of the Lord. Because of the disobedience of the people, Moses was angry, and he broke the tablets of stone that God had cut out and had written the ten commandments on. So God talked to Moses again.

Deuteronomy 10:1-5

1. At that time the Lord said to me, Cut two tables of stone like the first, and come up to me into the mountain, and also make you an ark of wood.

2. And I will write on the tables, the words that were in the first tables which you broke, and you shall put them in the ark.

3. And I made an ark of shittim wood, and cut two tables of stone like the first, and went up into the mountain, with the two tables in my hand.

4. And he wrote on the tables, according to the first writing, the ten commandments, which the Lord spoke to you in the mountain, out of the midst of the fire, in the day of the assembly: and the Lord gave them to me.

5. And I turned and came down from the mountain, and put the tables in the ark which I had made; and there they be, as the Lord commanded me.

Notice that the 10 commandments were written on two tables of stone, and were placed inside the ark of the covenant itself, but, as the next verses show, the Law of Moses was written in a book, (scroll) and placed in the SIDE of the ark of the covenant.

Deuteronomy 4:14

14. And the Lord commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that you might do them in the land which you go over to possess.

Deuteronomy 31:9

9. And Moses wrote this law, and delivered it to the priests, the sons of Levi, which bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to all the elders of Israel.

Deuteronomy 31:25-26

25. That Moses commanded the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord, saying,

26. 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 you all.

There is clearly a difference between the 10 Commandment Covenant, which God spoke, and wrote on stone, and the law of statutes and judgments which Moses taught Israel, and wrote in a book. Keep reading.

Deuteronomy 5:30-31

30. Go say to them, Go into your tents again.

31. But as for you, stand here by me, and I will speak unto you, all the commandments, AND the statutes and the judgments, which you shall teach them, that they may do them in the land which I give them to possess.

2 Kings 21:8

8. Neither will I make the feet of Israel move any more out of the land which I gave their fathers; only if they will observe to do according to all that I have commanded them, AND according to all the law that my servant Moses commanded them.

The 10 Commandment Law and the Law of Moses are two separate laws, as these verses clearly show. God spoke the 10 Commandments to all the people, then sent them to their tents while he told Moses the Statutes and Judgments he was to teach them later. In Deuteronomy chapter 7, Moses continues to speak to the children of Israel.

Deuteronomy 7:11 

11. You shall, therefore, keep the commandments, and the statutes and the judgments, which I command you this day, to do them.

Here Moses makes a clear distinction between the commandments, AND the statutes and the judgments. He calls these statutes and judgments the law (17:11,18,19) (27:3,8,26). Then again in Deuteronomy 28:58,61, he says this law is written in a book.

Deuteronomy 28:58

58. If you will not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that you may fear this glorious and fearful name, The Lord Your God;

Deuteronomy 28:61

61. Also, every sickness and every plague, which is not written in the book of this law, them will the LORD bring upon you until you are destroyed.

These next verses show this law, of statutes and judgments, which was written in a book, is called the law of Moses.

1 Kings 2:3

3. And keep the charge of the Lord your God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do, and wherever you turn:

2 Chronicles 30:16

16. And they stood in their place after their manner, according to the law of Moses, the man of God:

Daniel 9:11

11. Yes, all Israel have transgressed your law, even by departing, that they might not obey your voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God because we have sinned against him.

Again, it’s clear that the 10 Commandment Covenant and the Law of Moses are 2 different laws. These next three New Testament passages talk about what was accomplished by the death of Jesus, and they all refer to the law of Moses, not the 10 Commandments.

Acts 13:38-39

38. Be it known unto you, therefore, men and brethren, that through this man [Jesus] is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:

39. And by him, all who believe are justified from all things, from which you could not be justified by the Law of Moses.

Ephesians 2:15

15. Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments CONTAINED IN ORDINANCES; for to make in himself of two, one new man, so making peace;

Colossians 2:14

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;

What law was against them? Which law was handwritten? Which Law had Ordinances? Look at Deuteronomy 31:26 again.

Deuteronomy 31:26

26. 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 you.

The law of Moses, with the statutes and judgments (ordinances), was the law that was against them. It was the Handwriting of Moses. The 10 Commandments are FOR us, not AGAINST us, and remember, the 10 Commandments were written with the FINGER of God, and the law of Moses was written by the HAND of Moses. Under the Old Covenant, animal sacrifices were offered for the sins of the people, but they had to sacrifice over and over again. When Jesus died on the cross, he became the supreme sacrifice for all sin, past, and future. All the Old Covenant sacrifices pointed forward to Jesus as “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Now, there’s no more need for animal sacrifices in an earthly sanctuary service, as required under the Law of Moses. Now, let’s look at another passage of scripture that is often misunderstood.

Hebrews 8:7-9

7. For if that first COVENANT had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. 

8. For finding fault with THEM, he says, Behold, the days come, says the Lord, when I will make a NEW COVENANT with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: 

9. Not ACCORDING to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, says the Lord.

We have established that the 10 Commandments were the First Covenant. Verse 7 seems to say they were faulty, but how could God’s Law be faulty? It’s God’s Law, it can’t be faulty. The fault was not with the Law, but with the people (verse 8). They didn’t keep the covenant (verse 9). The word “Covenant” is another word for “Agreement” or "Contract." There are three essential parts to any contract. There’s the contract itself (the 10 Commandments). There’s the promises made by the party offering the contract (God), and the promises made by the party accepting the contract (Israel). These are called the terms of the contract. Both parties have to agree on these terms. Notice that, unlike some contracts, God’s contracts are not negotiable. He presents the Covenant and the terms. We choose whether or not we enter into the Covenant. Here are the terms of the Old Contract between God, and the Children of Israel.

Exodus 19:3-6

3. And Moses went up unto God, and the LORD called to him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shall you say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel; 

4. You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you unto myself. 

5. Now, therefore, if you will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then you shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: 

6. And you shall be unto me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.

There’s God’s part of the Covenant. He would make them a special treasure to himself; a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. The people’s part of the contract was the commandments themselves. Notice what they said when they agreed to the terms.

Exodus 19:7-8

7. And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the LORD commanded him. 

8. And all the people answered together, and said, “All that the LORD hath spoken we will do.” And Moses returned the words of the people unto the LORD.

There it is. They agreed to the terms. They said they would do ALL that the Lord had said in the 10 Commandment Covenant. They agreed to obey God’s law, but they broke the Covenant, even before God had finished writing it on the two tables of stone. Moses then broke the tablets the Law was written on to signify that the covenant had been broken. There was nothing wrong with the Law that the agreement was based on. The fault was found in the people (Hebrews 8:7) because they did not keep their part of the agreement. Let’s continue looking at Hebrews chapter 8.

Hebrews 8:8-9 

8. For finding fault with THEM, he says, Behold, the days come, says the Lord, when I will make a NEW COVENANT with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: 

9. Not ACCORDING to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.

Again, the people broke the Covenant, but that did not make the Law void. The 10 Commandments were still God’s Law, and they were still God’s COMMANDS. Verse 9 says he would make a NEW COVENANT with Israel, but NOT ACCORDING to the OLD COVENANT. What’s different? Look at this next verse, which refers to Jesus.

Hebrews 8:6

6. But now hath he [Jesus] obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.

Again, the Old Covenant and the New Covenant is the same Law. The difference is the terms. Remember the terms of the Old Covenant? God’s part was to love, protect and bless them as his children, and they were to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation to him. Their part was to obey these 10 simple rules. They agreed to the terms and said they would do all that the LORD had said. Now, look at the terms of the New Covenant which was established on better promises.

Hebrews 8:10 

10. For this is THE COVENANT that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says 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: 

11. And they shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.

12. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities I will remember no more.

When we enter into the New Covenant with God through faith, our sins are washed away, and he remembers them no more (Hebrews 8:12). Instead of having the Law on two tables of stone in a box, God writes the commandments on our hearts. We become new creatures, and he gives us a robe of righteousness. He gives us the Holy Spirit to help us keep his law.

Romans 3:31

31. Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.

Faith does not do away with God’s Law, nor make it void. His Law is still there as always. We still have the law to guide us. It was never done away with at any time. Look what Jesus said in Matthew 5:17-18.

Matthew 5:17-18

17. Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.

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.

Heaven and earth are still here, SO, nothing has changed in his 10 Commandment Law. Jesus said he “did not come to destroy the law,”...

The Bible does say, “You are not under the law, but under grace” (Romans 6:14), but the first part of that verse says, “For sin shall not have dominion over you:”

Romans 6:15 

15. What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.

So being under grace does not mean it’s okay now to sin. Neither does it do away with the law.

Romans 10:4 says the goal of the law is to bring those who believe to Jesus to be justified. Romans 3:20 says the law is the standard that shows us what sin is. In Romans 7:7, Paul said he would not have known what sin was without the law to tell him. The same law tells us what sin is today. All of us, the lost, and the saved.

Galatians 5:18

18. If you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

Here’s something that many people miss in this verse. Those who are NOT led by the spirit are still under the Law. Let me say that again. Listen closely. 

Galatians 5:18 says, “If you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” Those who are NOT led by the spirit, ARE still under the law. Therefore the Law is still there.

We who have been born again are not under the law because we have accepted God’s free gift of Salvation, and our sins have been forgiven. We are NOW under Grace. But, those who have not yet been saved, still need the law to show them that they are sinners so they can come to Christ, and be saved. Galatians 3:24-25 says it another way:

Galatians 3:24-25

24. Wherefore the law was our teacher to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 

25. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a teacher.

Somehow, people forget that everyone is not saved. Everyone does NOT have faith. Those people STILL NEED THE LAW to tell them what sin is. They still need the law to show them they are lost and point them to a loving Savior. We who are saved, also still need the Law

1 John 3:4 

4. Whoever sins, breaks the law: for sin is breaking the law.

Whoever breaks the law is sinning. Whoever means whoever. Anyone. Even if you have been born again, if you break the Law of God, you are sinning. You have broken the Covenant you agreed to keep. You must be forgiven of that sin to be reconciled back to God. The “Once Saved, Always Saved” doctrine is very dangerous. It teaches that, after you are born again, the same thing that was a sin before you came to Christ, is no longer a sin for you. That is a LIE, straight from Satan. Sin is sin, no matter who you are, but in the New Covenant God provides a way for us. Remember? He said he would forgive our sins, and be merciful to our unrighteousness. (Hebrews 8:10-12).

1 John 1:9 

9. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

God's 10 Commandment Law has NOT been changed, nor done away with. IT IS STILL THERE, just as strong, and as important as it ever was. The 10 Commandments is the Old and the New Covenant. When we accept God's free gift of salvation and enter into this covenant with him, we are agreeing to the terms of the Covenant, and that's not to be taken lightly. Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). If you love Jesus, you should want to obey him, and keep ALL his commandments. He has promised us, if we do, we will be blessed.

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GOING HOME

I’ve always found it interesting that one thing can remind us of another so much that it makes us say, Wow! That happens to me quite often. I was studying the Bible a while back and came to the story where the people of God were taken by force from their home and relocated to Babylon. Immediately I was reminded of a time in my life when I was taken by force from my home and relocated to another place.

I was eight years old when two of my sisters and I were taken from our home and put into foster care. Two of us were placed with the same family, while our youngest sister, at the time, was placed with another family on the other side of town from us. When we were older, I found out that we were there for less than two months, but back then, it had felt like an eternity.

Like the captives of King Nebuchadnezzar, we were not happy to be torn away from all we had ever known, moved to a place where we had never been, and where we knew no one.

Like those Jews, we did enjoy some freedoms, but things weren’t all roses. Everything was so different there. We were in another town. We were with people we didn’t know, and we were sent to a different school. We were totally cut off from our family and friends, just like the Children of Israel when they were taken captive.

I know some of those Jews trusted God without any doubts, like Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, but I can imagine some of them were just as afraid as we were and felt just as helpless as we did. We were so sad. I remember crying at night and calling out to God. I prayed every day and begged Him to rescue us and take us back home.

One afternoon when we got off the school bus at our foster home, a man was waiting there for us. I’ll never forget the joy I felt when he told us he had come to take us home. We grabbed our things as quickly as we could and got in his car. We drove to the other side of town and picked up our sister, then we were on our way.

When we arrived, our grandmother was waiting for us with open arms, and she showered us with hugs and kisses. We were so happy to see her again. We were so glad to be back home.

Our world has been captured by Satan and his forces, and we are his captives. When we recognize there is hope for us to be rescued, we call out to God and he saves us. Not because we’re good, and not because we deserve anything good, but simply because he loves us. God is so good, and I look forward to the day when he comes and takes us to our heavenly home so we can truly be free. He said he would someday. In John 14:2-3, he said,

14:2 There is plenty of room in my Father’s house. If not, I would have told you. I will go and prepare a place for you.
14:3 If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and receive you to myself, so that wherever I am, you may be also.

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 says,
16 Because the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and those who are dead in Christ will rise first.
17 Then we who remain alive will be taken up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will be with the Lord forever.

In verse 18, Paul tells us to comfort each other with these words. Jesus is coming back to take us home. That’s something to look forward to. I’m looking forward to that day with great anticipation, and I don’t believe we’ll have to wait much longer. Are you ready? If not, don’t wait. Get ready now. He could return at any time. As the words of the old song say, “In a little while we’re going home.”

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WHY WAS THE LORD’S DAY CHANGED FROM SATURDAY TO SUNDAY?

Some time ago, a friend sent me a link to an article that asked the question, “WHY DO WE NO LONGER WORSHIP GOD ON THE SABBATH?” I disagreed with the answer the writer gave and felt I should explain to my friend why I disagreed. Here are the original questions and answers from the article and my response to my friend about them. (Words in BLUE are from the original article)

Q: Why do we no longer worship God on the Sabbath? Why was the Lord’s Day changed to Sunday? Who changed it?
A: The Sabbath and the Lord’s Day are two distinct and separate days. The Sabbath is a day of rest on the seventh day of the week (Saturday) that God commanded Israel to observe. The term the Lord’s Day is found only once in the Bible where the apostle John wrote, “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day…” (Revelation 1:10) and refers to the first day of the week (Sunday) which was set aside by the early church as a memorial to the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which occurred on the first day of the week.

Here’s the reply I sent to my friend.

Since “The term THE LORD’S DAY is found only once in the Bible,” (Revelation 1:10) how can anyone say it refers to Sunday, with no Bible reference for proof? The Bible NEVER says Sunday is the Lord’s day. In fact, it says right the opposite.

In Matthew 12:8, Jesus himself said, “The Son of man is Lord of the Sabbath day.” If Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath day, then the Sabbath day is THE LORD’S DAY; NOT Sunday. Exodus 20:10 says, “But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord…” The writer of this article knows the Sabbath is the Lord’s day. He says so in the question. Read it carefully.
Q: Why was the Lord’s Day changed to Sunday? (from Saturday)

Then he asks ”Who changed it?” His answer is [Sunday] “was set aside by the early church as a memorial to the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which occurred on the first day of the week.”
So he says the early church changed it. My question is what authority did they have to change one of God’s COMMANDMENTS?

Exodus 20:11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

God blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. No human has the authority to change the day that God made holy and commanded us to keep holy, and no human can make Sunday holy, no matter how hard they try.

The 10 commandments were NOT given to the Jews as so many believe and teach. They were given to all God’s people. The name “Jew” was first used in reference to the descendants of Judah years later. Many people miss that. (*Judaism 101)

Over a thousand years later, Jesus, the Messiah was born. He kept the Sabbath all his life and NEVER said anything about changing it to Sunday. Nor did he ever say anything about doing away with his holy Law, the 10 commandments. What he did was point out that the religious leaders had perverted his law, including the Sabbath. Look at the next 4 verses carefully.

Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and today, and for ever.

Mal 3:6 For I am the LORD, I change not;

Matthew 5:17 Do not think that I have come to destroy the law or the prophets. I have not come to destroy, but to fulfill.

Matthew 5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle will in no way pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

God has not changed. He did not change his law. Heaven and earth are still here SO nothing has changed in his Law, the 10 commandments. He said he “did not come to destroy the law,”… If he had changed the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday or told his disciples to do so, then he would have destroyed the law. That’s what Satan has been trying to do from the beginning and he has fooled the majority of the Christian world into going along with his plan.

I’ve been a Sabbath Keeper for more than 20 years now, and I’ve studied the subject quite extensively, and I’ve heard all the arguments. What amazes me most is that so many Christians say we don’t have to obey the 10 commandments anymore, but ask any Christian these questions;

Is it okay to worship other gods?
Is it okay to worship images and idols?
Is it okay to take the name of the LORD in vain?
Is it okay to dishonor your parents?
Is it okay to kill, steal, lie, commit adultery, or covet?

Most Christians say, No! It’s not okay to do those things. But ask them about the fourth commandment, the Sabbath commandment. Is it okay to break the Sabbath?

They say, “We‘re not under the law but under grace.” They get offended and say “That’s legalism” and quote Colossians 2:16 & Romans 14:5 and say, “Don’t judge me!” I’ve seen people get fighting mad about it, yet, they judge me, harshly, because I keep the Seventh-Day Sabbath “according to the commandment” (Luke 23:56).

The Bible does say, “You are not under the law but under grace” (Romans 6:14). But the first part of that verse says, “sin shall not have dominion over you…”

Romans 3:20 says the law is the standard that shows us what sin is.

In Romans 7:7 Paul says he would not have known what sin was without the law.

1 John 3:4 says, Whoever sins, breaks the law: for sin is breaking the law.

Galatians 5:18 says, “If you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. ” Those who are not led by the spirit are STILL under the law.

Let me say that again. Listen closely.
Galatians 5:18 says, “If you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” Those who are NOT led by the Spirit are still under the law. We who have accepted Jesus as our Savior are not under the law because we have accepted God’s free gift of Salvation, and our sins have been forgiven. We’re now under Grace. But, those who have NOT yet been saved still need the law to show them what sin is so they can come to Jesus and be saved.

Galatians 3:24-25 says it another way.

Galatians 3:24 Wherefore the law was our teacher to bring us to Christ, so we might be justified by faith.
Galatians 3:25 But after that faith has come, we are no longer under a teacher.

Somehow, people forget that everyone is not saved. Everyone does NOT have faith. Those people STILL NEED THE LAW to tell them what sin is. They still need the law to show them they are lost and to point them to our loving Savior. So the law has not been changed nor done away with. IT IS STILL THERE, just as strong, and as in effect as ever.

Keeping the 10 commandments, or any other law, WILL NOT save us. We should obey them because we ARE saved. All 10, not just 9 of them. Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). I love him and I want to please him. No matter what others say. It is not legalism to want to obey God.

LET’S ANSWER THE LAST PART OF THE ORIGINAL QUESTION. Who changed it?

Since the true followers of Jesus had no authority to change the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday, who changed it? Here’s the answer. This is a direct quote from the Convert’s Catechism of Catholic Doctrine.

Q. Which is the Sabbath day?
A. Saturday is the Sabbath day.
Q. Why do we observe Sunday instead of Saturday?
A. We observe Sunday instead of Saturday because the Catholic Church, in the Council of Laodicea, (AD 336) transferred the solemnity from Saturday to Sunday….
Q. Why did the Catholic Church substitute Sunday for Saturday?
A. The Church substituted Sunday for Saturday, because Christ rose from the dead on a Sunday, and the Holy Ghost descended upon the Apostles on a Sunday.
Q. By what authority did the Church substitute Sunday for Saturday?
A. The Church substituted Sunday for Saturday by the plenitude of that divine power which Jesus Christ bestowed upon her!

So, there’s the truth. The Catholic church changed it. NOT Jesus and NOT the early church. Now, the Catholic Church has no more authority to change God’s law than anyone else on earth, but they are responsible for the change from worshiping on Saturday, the seventh day of the week to worshiping on Sunday, the first day of the week, and much of the Christian world is following the beast without even knowing it.

NOW LET’S ADDRESS A FEW OF THE STATEMENTS IN THE BODY OF THE ARTICLE

The article states…
Some Christians believe the Sabbath no longer applies and others believe that it applies to Christians just as it applied to Israel. The apostle Paul seems to address this debate by writing, “One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind…” (Romans 14:5)
Some are quick to claim that the Sabbath is not required for Christians based on Paul’s words in Colossians: “So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths…” (Colossians 2:16) At face value this seems true, but some scholars argue that the Greek word sabbatoon, translated “sabbaths” in this verse, could also refer to the Jewish Feast of Weeks festival.

Let’s examine these two verses closely.

Romans 14:5
“One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.”

This verse doesn’t say anything about the Sabbath. Verses 1-3 are talking about eating. Verse 6 talks about eating.

Look at Colossians 2:16, 17
“Let no man, therefore, judge you in food, or drink, or in respect of a holy day or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath days:

Both these verses are talking about feast days. (such as Pentecost and Passover, the New Moons, Sabbath days, etc.). The Sabbath days here are the yearly Sabbaths, not the weekly Sabbath which God made holy and commanded us to keep holy.

In Romans 14:5, Paul is saying not to judge a person because they are keeping a certain feast day, although, it was no longer required since Jesus, the Messiah, nailed all those ordinances to his cross when he died. He fulfilled their purpose by becoming the final sacrifice. (Colossians 2:14, Matthew 5:17)

Colossians 2:20-22 confirms that fact.

What ordinance is Paul talking about here?
Read Leviticus 23:23-24
Verse 24 says they would have a sabbath in the 7th month. The 1st day will be a holy gathering. (convocation or meeting)

Verse 27 says, On the 10th day of the 7th month there shall be a day of atonement: another holy gathering.

Verse 32 says this meeting shall be a sabbath of rest.

Verse 34 says the 15th day of the 7th month shall be the feast of tabernacles for 7 days unto the Lord.

Verse 35 says the 1st day of these 7 days shall be a holy gathering.

Verse 37 says these are the feast of the Lord… holy gatherings.

Verse 38 makes it clear that these “Sabbaths” are different from THE SABBATH in the Commandments by stating, “besides the Sabbaths of the LORD.”

These Sabbaths were beside the Sabbaths of the Lord, or other than, or not including the Sabbaths of the LORD. These were holy days that pointed forward to the Messiah, or “shadows of things to come” (2 Chronicles 8:12-13 and 2 Chronicles 31:3).

Verse 29 says, on the 15th day of the 7th month they were to keep a feast unto the Lord for 7 days. The 1st day will be a Sabbath, and the 8th day will be a sabbath. These Sabbaths were ordinances. Shadows of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross where he became the last and final sacrifice, “once for all” (Hebrews 10:10).

The Sabbath of the LORD has never been changed by God. He wrote it in stone with his own finger. It is one of the 10 Commandments. He made the seventh day holy and he tells us to remember it and keep it holy. So, these 2 texts Colossians 2:16, 17 and Romans 14:5 are not talking about the “Sabbath of the LORD” (the weekly Sabbath), the Sabbath of the Ten Commandments.

Revelation 22:14 says, “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.

Revelation 14:12 says, “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

We are promised a blessing for keeping his commandments, but Jesus also talks about another group of people.

Matthew 15:8 These people draw near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.
Matthew 15:9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

2 Peter 3:16 As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable twist, as they do also the other scriptures, to their own destruction.

It makes me sad to see people twisting the scriptures to make themselves feel better about breaking a commandment of God and following the Sunday tradition of Rome in honor of the sun god. The Sabbath is a blessing. A beautiful gift from God. A time to rest from the labor of the week. A time to spend with God and family. Why anyone would not want that blessing is beyond me. We all certainly need it.

NOW THE NEXT STATEMENT
In the book of Corinthians it states that the early church met “on the first day of the week” which is clearly not the seventh day of the week (the Sabbath); and nowhere in the Bible does it state this was wrong. If the Sabbath was required it would seem probable that the Jerusalem Council would have included the Sabbath in the list of “necessary things” for the church, but they did not mention it (Acts 15:23-29).

First of all, this verse (1 Corinthians 16:2) does NOT say that the early church met on the first day of the week and it doesn’t say that the Sabbath was changed from the Seventh day of the week to the First day of the week. In Acts 15:23-29 which the writer refers to, the Jerusalem Council determined not to burden the Gentiles, who had turned to Jesus, with a bunch of rules all at once, just the “necessary things.” Pay attention here. Are we supposed to believe that those few things mentioned here are the only things God expects Gentile Christians to do, and nothing else? That would be ridiculous. If that were the case, why were so many other letters (The New Testament) written with instructions in so many other subjects? Jesus and the New Testament writers tell us that God expects a lot more from us than just these few things.

Here’s the key. The council sent Jude and Silas to Antioch with the letter to the Gentiles who had accepted Jesus as their Savior, and they spoke “many words” to them (verse 32). In verse 21, before sending the letter, the council said they would only write those “necessary things” because they would learn more of what was expected of them in the scripture readings “in every city,” “every Sabbath.”

Now, back to 1 Corinthians 16:2. Verse 1 plainly says it is “concerning the collection FOR the saints.” There was a famine in all of Judea in those days and Paul was giving instructions for the churches to prepare a collection for the poor saints at Jerusalem. It doesn’t say if it was money, food, clothes, or what. Acts 11:27-30 shows the beginning of this work. Understanding this, read Romans 15:26 and 1 Corinthians 16:1-2.

Romans 15:26 For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem.

1 Corinthians 16:1 Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, even so, do you.
1 Corinthians 16:2 On the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.

There is so much to this subject, but it all boils down to the words of Peter and the other apostles in Acts 5:29;

Act 5:29 ….We should obey God rather than men. ----

For more information go to Sabbath Truth.com
http://www.sabbathtruth.com

*Judaism 101 

http://www.jewfaq.org/whoisjew.htm

The original question can be found @
http://www.lettersofchrist.com/qa_sabbath_and_lords_day.htm

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