Someone emailed me with a question: Why do Christians differ in calculation of appointed times, and how can we know?
I thought my answer to this would make a good post, so here it is.
God gives directions for the appointed times of His Sabbaths and feast days in the Bible, and it is from the Bible that we can know the dates.
The weekly Sabbath day, the seventh day from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset, is easy for anyone who believes the Bible to understand. The weekly cycle has been kept by the Jews, wherever they are in the world, for centuries since the time of Moses until now. There is no serious disagreement about when the seventh day is, although most traditional churches prefer to observe Sunday.
God uses the seventh-day Sabbath day to test those who want to live by every word of God, as Jesus said (Matthew 4:4). You don't need a church organization to know when the seventh day is.
But the annual holy days are more complicated. God gives instructions in the Bible that tell us when these days occur, but you have to put scriptural passages together from different places in the Bible to understand them properly. And sometimes, a judgment is required to make a decision God has given leaders in the Church the authority to make.
Part of the problem is that the annual days - Passover, Days of Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, Trumpets, Atonement, the Feast of Tabernacles, and the Last Great Day - all depend, directly or indirectly, on a calendar.
But God does not give an exact calendar in the Bible.
Most, not all, disagreements among those calling themselves "Church of God" about when these days occur involve disagreements about what calendar to follow.
But God gave authority for deciding these issues to the leaders He has appointed. God's leaders do not have the authority to contradict or disobey the Bible. But they have the authority to make judgment calls to decide details that are not spelled out in the Bible.
In the Old Testament, God gave this authority for Israel to the Levitical priesthood. "If a matter arises which is too hard for you to judge, between degrees of guilt for bloodshed, between one judgment or another, or between one punishment or another, matters of controversy within your gates, then you shall arise and go up to the place which the Lord your God chooses. And you shall come to the priests, the Levites, and to the judge there in those days, and inquire of them; they shall pronounce upon you the sentence of judgment. You shall do according to the sentence which they pronounce upon you in that place which the Lord chooses. And you shall be careful to do according to all that they order you. According to the sentence of the law in which they instruct you, according to the judgment which they tell you, you shall do; you shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left from the sentence which they pronounce upon you. Now the man who acts presumptuously and will not heed the priest who stands to minister there before the Lord your God, or the judge, that man shall die. So you shall put away the evil from Israel. And all the people shall hear and fear, and no longer act presumptuously" (Deuteronomy 17:8-13).
In the New Testament, for the Church of God, God gave this authority to the apostles and the ministry in the Church. "And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven" (Matthew 16:19).
This is good, because it is a way God can test our willingness to submit to the leadership of those He has placed in authority over us. "Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you" (Hebrews 13:17). "Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct" (Hebrews 13:7).
This authority that God gives to the leaders He appoints is for the purpose of maintaining unity and enabling the Church to work together as a team. It is necessary that we learn this lesson because unified teamwork is the pattern of how we will function in the millennium and for eternity in the Kingdom of God.
"And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head - Christ - from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love" (Ephesians 4:11-16).
So, difficult questions about the exact timing of the calendar and annual holy days and festivals are decided by the leadership and ministry in the Church of God.
So, as God tests each Christian with the weekly Sabbath day to know if that person will obey God directly when God's word, the Bible, is simple and easy to understand, so God can use the calendar and annual holy days and feast days to test each person to know if they will submit to the judgment of the Church of God leadership and ministry as He instructs in matters that may not be simple and clear from the Bible and easy to understand.
Now for some history of this issue in the Church of God in modern times.
When Herbert W. Armstrong was first converted, he had to be willing to obey God by keeping the seventh day Sabbath. It was a hard test for him, but he finally obeyed God. He also learned at that time from the Bible that Christians are also to keep the annual holy days and feasts of God.
He began to fellowship with the Church of God Seventh Day. They knew about and kept the seventh day Sabbath. But they did not observe the annual holy days and festivals. So Mr. Armstrong and his family had to observe the annual days alone.
In the matter of the calendar, Mr. Armstrong recognized that God committed the "oracles of God" (which would include the calendar issues) to the Jews (Romans 3:1-2), and also, this was the calendar in effect when Jesus Christ, our perfect example, kept these days. So Mr. Armstrong made the judgment to follow the Hebrew calendar.
Mr. Armstrong eventually left most fellowship with the Church of God Seventh Day when he raised up the Radio Church of God, later renamed Worldwide Church of God. As this Church grew and the work of God expanded, and as God revealed to Mr. Armstrong more and more new doctrinal knowledge from the Bible, Mr. Armstrong and the Worldwide Church of God recognized that God was using Mr. Armstrong as an apostle.
As I understand it, during all this time, Mr. Armstrong, as Pastor General of Worldwide, taught the Church to observe the Hebrew calendar. This was in line with the authority God gave to the apostles and the ministry to make binding decisions (Matthew 16:19).
That did not eliminate every controversy regarding the holy days and festivals, because a few issues remain even when we agree on a calendar. But at least the calendar was a base upon which most observance of annual days can be based from clear Bible instruction.
Can men, ministers, and even apostles make mistakes? Yes. For years, Mr. Armstrong thought Pentecost was on a Monday, and the Church thus observed it. But that was an error due to a misunderstanding of scripture. Later, Mr. Armstrong corrected his mistake and taught that Pentecost is on a Sunday, which is correct.
That raises a question. What should a Church member have done during the time when Mr. Armstrong was teaching a Monday Pentecost if that member could see in the Bible that this was a mistake and it should be Sunday? Should the member obey Mr. Armstrong and keep it on Monday or obey God and keep it on Sunday?
I believe the correct answer is, both. And I think some did exactly that. There is no reason for division here.
Such a member could obey God by quietly resting and reading the Bible on Pentecost Sunday to obey God, without making an issue of it with the Church or discussing it with other members, and also resting and attending Church services on Monday with the rest of the Church. That would be obeying God, obeying the ministry, and avoiding division.
After the death of Mr. Armstrong, his successor, Mr. Tkach, began changing doctrine and Worldwide split up into a number of fellowships, each with a different leader or form of governance. I think God allowed this because we, as a Church, had become Laodicean, lukewarm, and it served God's purpose to let the Church become scattered to test us and try us and teach us lessons.
"I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth" (Revelation 3:15-16).
This left members to turn to God, turn to the Bible, and really study the issue of where to attend and who to support. I think members with spiritual discernment understand the need to attend with and support an organization that is governed from the top down and is actively doing God's work of preaching the gospel to the world.
Even so, the vast majority of members and major fellowships continued in the traditions and judgments of Mr. Armstrong regarding the calendar and holy days. This includes Living Church of God, United Church of God, and most or all of the other large organizations that came out of Worldwide. Only some small groups reject Mr. Armstrong's judgment in these matters.
I have studied these issues myself to a certain degree, and as far as I can tell, Mr. Armstrong was completely correct in the calendar and holy days once he corrected his Pentecost error.
Why do some groups do things differently?
I cannot judge if their leaders are sincere. I cannot read minds. If a man is not sincere, he may make an issue of the calendar or holy days just to create a following. Or, if he is sincere but is not whole-heartedly following God and the Bible, God may have removed from that man the spiritual discernment to realize his error.
Of all the fellowships, I think Living Church of God is doing the best job of being faithful to God's instructions in the Bible including the annual holy days and festivals. They follow the same schedule Mr. Armstrong followed and taught, and I follow the same.
Why is there this division in the whole Church of God?
God allows it to test us, to force us to dig into the Bible, to be zealous, to search out where He is working, and to test our obedience both to His word, the Bible, and to His appointed ministry.
There seems to be a growing controversy in regard to eating out in restaurants on the Sabbath and Holy Days as well. There are a number of members among several COG groups that have become uncomfortable with it and are no longer participating in anything held in restaurants or any catered event on the Sabbath or a Holy Day. One group in particular has about 6 0r 7 that no longer participate in the NTBMO, preferring to meet in a home separate from the rest of the congregation which meets at a steak house each year.
ReplyDeleteHopefully they will hold fast until the leadership sees its error, as Mr. Armstrong did concerning Pentecost.
I think traditionally for the night to be much observed it has been preferred that members eat in small groups in their homes, not in restaurants, but that the restaurant option is a second-best choice when eating at home is not available for some members.
ReplyDeleteRegarding not eating in restaurants on the Sabbath, I can respect members who decline to do so for reasons of conscience. Nevertheless, such members should be careful not to cause division in the way they handle this. God gave the ministry certain authority to make binding decisions concerning church policy and the teaching of doctrine, and if a fellowship has ruled that it is ok for members to eat in restaurants on the Sabbath, members who decline to do so should refrain from restaurants quietly and peacefully, not stirring up division by criticizing and contradicting the ministry on this subject or trying to persuade other members on this issue.
Members who eat in restaurants on the Sabbath are not working on the Sabbath, and restaurant workers are not our servants.
But if a member does not feel comfortable eating in a restaurant on the Sabbath, other members should accept that and not try to pressure the person into doing so (1 Corinthians 8:1-13, Romans 14:12-23, 15:1-6).
Agreed that all involved should be careful not to cause division in the way things are handled.
ReplyDeleteThat said, in my experience it's not those that refrain from eating out, but those that do eat out that unwitting cause division, because they are offended by those not going out and have difficulty maintaining their composure. Things are said in a way that they would not normally be because feeling have been hurt.
We should all show great tolerance for those weak in the faith, so they will be able to grow stronger.
NTBMO is a man-made tradition of HWA. It’s nowhere referred to in the OT or NT as observed by various COGs (ie fine dining and staying up late). The Biblical NTBMO as mentioned by Moses in Ex 12:42 is in fact just another title for the Passover. The NTBMO is not the following holy eve of the 15th Abib.
ReplyDeleteExodus 12:42 refers to leaving Egypt, not the death angel passing over the houses of the Israelites. Those two events occurred on different nights. Thus, they must be observed on different nights. Passover is observed at the beginning of the fourteenth day. The night to be much observed (NTBMO) is kept at the beginning of the fifteenth day.
ReplyDeleteIsrael did not leave Egypt the same night as Passover.
Irrespective of when the Israelites left Egypt I believe the NTBMO is another title for the Passover. The way I see it is like if I've been a prisoner for however many years and today November 14th the leader of the nation I'm imprisoned declares I'm free and no longer a slave. I might not physically leave my slave environs until tomorrow or the next day, but from today I am a free man and no longer a prisoner. Thus, I will always remember today as the day of my freedom not necessarily the day I actually leave the prison or the country to return home a free man. In any event, that's my belief. Peace! :-)
ReplyDeleteThere are a number of areas of disagreement amongst the membership. The calendar, sacred names, patronizing restaurants on the Sabbath or Holy Days, the timing of the Passover and leaving Egypt are some of the larger ones for sure.
ReplyDeleteAll of the above issues are easily cleared up if we listen to God.
Hillel had the authority, and he went public with the calendar calculations, so why is there any disagreement?
The Sacred Names requirement is so easily disproven straight from the bible.
The timing of the Passover and the exodus from Egypt the next day is also easily shown straight from the bible.
The issue of eating out on the Sabbath or Holy Days is another thing that baffles me. God so clearly says not to do it that it amazes me that there is any disagreement about it at all. After the exodus He tells the Israelites not to go out on the Sabbath and attempt to procure food, because it is The Sabbath, and there will be no food to collect. That position is maintained all through the bible, whether it is harvesting or purchasing from the people of the land. He says not to do it.
One statement here in the comments caught my eye. "Members who eat in restaurants on the Sabbath are not working on the Sabbath, and restaurant workers are not our servants."
How any one can come to that conclusion is beyond me. We look our waitress in the eye, request a particular item on the menu, and it is brought to us. She checks on us regularly to keep our tea topped off, and make sure everything is to our liking. She is our servant, as is her boss the owner of the establishment, who hired her to serve us. To say that the waitstaff are not our servants is classic "pharisee-think", trying to reason around something to get off on a technicality. If anything, the sin is multiplied by hiring the owner, who then hires staff, to profane the Sabbath for our pleasure.
I hope everyone will stop and think this through.
Reply to Anonymous, November 24, 2018, 9:46 am:
ReplyDeleteI have answers to some of the points you raised. But before I offer them, I would like to ask a question.
Have you discussed your reasons with a minister? I mean a minister who disagrees with you? What did he say?
It is easy to think you are right, and yet miss vital points if you don't hear the other side of the story with an open mind (Proverbs 18:17, Proverbs 18:13).
Reply to Anonymous, November 14, 2018, 1:32 am:
ReplyDeleteI think I understand your position, though I do not share it.
Figuratively, one could say that the Israelites may have come out of Egypt when Passover occurred, because that was the event that started the chain of events that led to their freedom from bondage.
But the statements in Exodus 12:41-42 seem to be literal, not figurative. "And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years—on that very same day—it came to pass that all the armies of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt. It is a night of solemn observance to the Lord for bringing them out of the land of Egypt. This is that night of the Lord, a solemn observance for all the children of Israel throughout their generations" (Exodus 12:41-42).
What indication is there that God is speaking figuratively and not literally when He says that this is a solemn observance for bringing Israel out of Egypt? That phrase, "out of the land of Egypt" seems to refer directly to Israel walking out of Egypt, literally, not the Passover.
Also, why are you so sure that the night to be much observed is not a separate observance from the Passover? It is the simplest explanation for Exodus 12:41-42. What makes you sure that is wrong? Do you have proof it is wrong?
Author, I have never found a minister that disagrees with me that is willing to sit down and discuss the issue. They use the "keys to the kingdom" defense and basically walk away.
ReplyDeleteI would love to hear what you have to say.
Anon 9:46
Anon 9:46:
ReplyDelete"Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your ox, nor your donkey, nor any of your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates, that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day" (Deuteronomy 5:12-15).
What is a servant in the context of the fourth commandment? This is not talking about anyone that serves, but specifically about those we have authority over. We have authority to make the servant work or to make the servant rest. The same is true for our sons, our daughters, and our animals. We have control.
That is not true with a waitess. The key difference is this. We cannot give her the day off. We cannot make her keep the Sabbath or even make it possible for her to keep the Sabbath. That authority belongs only to her boss at the restaurant. And even he can only give her the day off from working at the restaurant - he cannot prevent her from shopping, doing chores, or working at another job on the Sabbath. So the waitress is not our servant as the word "servant" is used in the context of the fourth commandment. We don't have that kind of authority over her. We cannot cause her to keep the Sabbath.
Christ gave loosening and binding authority to the human leadership of His Church: "And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven" (Matthew 16:19).
This is the same kind of authority He gave the Levitical priesthood and judges under the Old Covenant: "According to the sentence of the law in which they instruct you, according to the judgment which they tell you, you shall do; you shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left from the sentence which they pronounce upon you. Now the man who acts presumptuously and will not heed the priest who stands to minister there before the Lord your God, or the judge, that man shall die. So you shall put away the evil from Israel" (Deuteronomy 17:11-12).
Does that authority mean that the priests or the ministers can change or do away with God's law? No. They can only make judgments that fill in details of how God's law is to be kept in those cases where it is not clear. But in those cases, they can make binding decisions. And they can change their decisions as circumstances change, and the judgment of the Church of God ministry overrides the judgment of the Levitical priesthood.
You say that God maintains a position throughout the Bible that we are not to procure food on the Sabbath. But the law given direct from God, not later judgments of priests, only prohibits WORKING to procure food on the Sabbath, which was what Israel in the wilderness was doing when they went out to gather manna on the Sabbath. We are not working when we procure food in a restaurant.
Well, at least I know where you're coming from.
ReplyDeleteI don't see how giving our household servants the day off by hiring outside servants is acceptable, however. If what is written in the commandment is all that God had to say about the matter, you might have a point.
We read how Israel separated themselves from the world on the Sabbath to appear before God. We can't do that if we're going right back out there after worship services to engage in commerce with it, or worse yet, setting up Holy Day observances in a restaurant, using their sin for our pleasure. God warns against taking pleasure in the sins of others. Add to that the very clear instructions in Nehemiah not to buy on the Sabbath or Holy Day and we have a real problem. As I said earlier, God is consistent in His instruction against using servants/buying/selling on the Sabbath and Holy Days. Going out, or not going out to a restaurant is something we have complete control over.
I do thank you for your time, and willingness to discuss this. I hope you understand why I don't conduct business on the Sabbath, and discourage it to anyone that asks me about it.
Anon 9:46
if I may add something,
ReplyDeleteJesus elevated obedience to the spiritual level.
one does not have to physically kill another to be guilty of murder.
we are to live as though we are in the Kingdom now.
when Jesus returns and sets up his kingdom there will be no one in the kingdom working, no restaurants or food carts or anything like it operating on the sabbath day.
with that in mind, would a member of his church be in a restaurant on the sabbath now?
I have often wondered about how things would be had the priests not been forced to go public with the calendar calculations. I think everyone would be using that same calendar, not understanding how the dates are set, and there would be no disagreement. Since now everyone knows how the dates were set, they can come up with their own way of doing it.
ReplyDeleteMan always seems to have a better way, and what better way to grow a following than to come up with some special doctrine or belief that no one else has.
Reply to Anonymous, November 28, 2018, 9:58 AM:
ReplyDeleteI can see your point.
But there are factors on both sides of this issue that the ministry must take into consideration in making binding or loosening decisions in this matter.
On the side of allowing members to eat in restaurants on the Sabbath, here are some things to keep in mind.
The conditions and requirements in the millennium will be different from conditions now. For example, it is apparent that there will be animal sacrifices once again in the millennium and beyond, though there are not animal sacrifices now.
The key difference is that we live in Satan's world, in small numbers, and are geographically scattered.
A typical congregation is made up of people who live in a radius of about 50 miles from the meeting place. For such to gather at a member's home for fellowship can represent a burden of travel, in some cases, to the point that some will not have the opportunity to fellowship. Meeting in a restaurant after services that is close to the meeting place enables more fellowship to occur, and fellowship is important to God. "Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, And the Lord listened and heard them; So a book of remembrance was written before Him For those who fear the Lord And who meditate on His name. 'They shall be Mine,' says the Lord of hosts, 'On the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them As a man spares his own son who serves him' " (Malachi 3:16-17).
I know from my own experience that I have spiritually profited from the fellowship I enjoyed on many occasions at restaurants on the Sabbath, and such fellowship would simply not have occurred if I could not eat in a restaurant on the Sabbath. I was able to participate in the process of "iron sharpens iron" (Proverbs 27:17).
In the millennium, when the whole world is basically "in the Church", members will meet for services locally without a long distance from their house to the meeting place, and it will be easy for anyone to gather in anyone's home because we will all be close together. In a city, for example, there may be a local congregation every two or three miles.
To spend more time driving in traffic to go to a member's distant home is a greater burden of the work of driving than to travel a short distance to a nearby restaurant after services.
Christ's whole focus in His teaching about the Sabbath was to remove burdens, not increase them, to ease the rules, not tighten them.
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ReplyDeleteMoreover, although the Sabbath is for mankind as a whole in God's long-term purpose, it is not for the waitress at this time. Why? The Sabbath is a SIGN. It identifies God's people. It identifies those who believe what God says, and it identifies for God's people who the true God is. We keep the Sabbath because it is a sign between us and God. The sign of the Sabbath sets us apart from the rest of the world, and that is God's intent.
"Speak also to the children of Israel, saying: 'Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you' " (Exodus 31:13).
It is also a test command (Exodus 16:4-5). For the waitress to have the sign of the Sabbath, she must pass a test. She must believe what God says in the Bible and obey regardless of hardship, financial or otherwise.
The waitress, and the world, do not keep the Sabbath because they do not have that sign between them and God. They are not God's people who believe and obey God's word, and God is not their God whom they obey. Satan is the God of this world.
Things will be different in the millennium. Satan will be put away and the earth will be ruled by Christ. But this is Satan's world, and in a real sense it is not God's will that Satan's world have the true sign of the Sabbath at this time. For if that were the case, the Sabbath would not be a sign between God's true Church and God that separates us from the world.
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ReplyDeleteAlso, consider other things we do on the Sabbath that use the work done by others in the world.
Those without cars have to take public transportation to and from services. They pay bus drivers or taxi drivers to drive them. They pay train attendants when they travel on trains, and the train personnel serve them.
Those with cars sometimes have to pay toll booth attendants at toll booths to let them through the gate. Those attendants are working on the Sabbath, as are bus drivers and train employees. If you think we should not eat in restaurants on the Sabbath, if you are going to be consistent, we should not use public transportation to go to church services on the Sabbath, and some would not be able to attend.
Taking it one step further, we use water, electricity, telephone, and heating gas on the Sabbath. These utilities all require working employees of utility companies to maintain these services. They do not happen automatically, as some may think. For example, to provide water service, employees must continuously monitor water pressure, increasing or decreasing the action of the pumps to compensate for varying usage, to maintain the correct pressure. Similar adjusting is done with electricity.
You can say, these utility people will be working on the Sabbath regardless of whether we turn on our lights or flush the toilet. But the same is true of the waitress - she will be working regardless of whether we eat in the restaurant or not.
Even in the halls we rent, work of employees of the hall is usually required, if only to unlock the doors before we come and lock them after we leave. Many times we rent hotel meeting rooms, and thus contribute to the work of the hotel staff who must be on hand to accommodate our needs and check the room after we leave.
These are some things the leadership and ministry of the Church of God must consider when making the decision to allow members to eat in restaurants on the Sabbath.
Church members who have a conscience problem about eating in restaurants on the Sabbath should not eat in restaurants on the Sabbath (Romans 14:22-23). Other members and ministers should accept that and not try to pressure the member into sinning against his or her conscience by going to the restaurant. But, also, the member who does not go to the restaurant should not try to discuss and promote his view in conversation with other members because he will be contradicting the ministry and causing division. He has no right to do that, for the job of teaching and making policy decisions in the Church of God belongs to the ministry, not him.
He should also not judge those who fellowship on the Sabbath in restaurants.
Paul addresses a situation where members had different views on what is permissible. It would be good to read Romans chapter 14 and 1 Corinthians chapter 8 in regard to these things. The details of the situation are different, but the principles are the same. He shows how we are to get along with each other in love and unity in spite of certain differences of opinion. I think it applies very well to the controversy about eating in restaurants on the Sabbath.
But there are factors on both sides of this issue that the ministry must take into consideration in making binding or loosening decisions in this matter.
ReplyDelete(I think we have a fundamental disagreement on the meaning of the "binding & loosing" scriptures. I have talked with others that think that passage gives them virtually unlimited power to make decisions on any matter. I don't see it that way.)
On the side of allowing members to eat in restaurants on the Sabbath, here are some things to keep in mind.
The conditions and requirements in the millennium will be different from conditions now. For example, it is apparent that there will be animal sacrifices once again in the millennium and beyond, though there are not animal sacrifices now.
The key difference is that we live in Satan's world, in small numbers, and are geographically scattered.
A typical congregation is made up of people who live in a radius of about 50 miles from the meeting place. For such to gather at a member's home for fellowship can represent a burden of travel, in some cases, to the point that some will not have the opportunity to fellowship. Meeting in a restaurant after services that is close to the meeting place enables more fellowship to occur, and fellowship is important to God.
(what about good ole fashioned pot lucks like we had in the 50s and 60s? There is no need to go to a restaurant. There are meeting halls that allow food to be brought in. We've always had that option.)
In the millennium, when the whole world is basically "in the Church", members will meet for services locally without a long distance from their house to the meeting place, and it will be easy for anyone to gather in anyone's home because we will all be close together. In a city, for example, there may be a local congregation every two or three miles.
To spend more time driving in traffic to go to a member's distant home is a greater burden of the work of driving than to travel a short distance to a nearby restaurant after services.
Christ's whole focus in His teaching about the Sabbath was to remove burdens, not increase them, to ease the rules, not tighten them.
(Convenience is an argument I've heard many times. I don't find obedience to be burdensome at all.)
ReplyDeleteTo spend more time driving in traffic to go to a member's distant home is a greater burden of the work of driving than to travel a short distance to a nearby restaurant after services.
Christ's whole focus in His teaching about the Sabbath was to remove burdens, not increase them, to ease the rules, not tighten them.
(Convenience is an argument I've heard many times. I don't find obedience to be burdensome at all.)
Moreover, although the Sabbath is for mankind as a whole in God's long-term purpose, it is not for the waitress at this time. Why? The Sabbath is a SIGN. It identifies God's people. It identifies those who believe what God says, and it identifies for God's people who the true God is. We keep the Sabbath because it is a sign between us and God. The sign of the Sabbath sets us apart from the rest of the world, and that is God's intent.
(How do we know it's not for her? If she is being called, and suffers confusion because "church people" come to her place of employment to be served, but she is being told that she is not to work on the Sabbath, she might throw her hands up and stop responding to God's calling. We don't know who God is working with, and how long he works with someone before they respond to their calling. I for one never want to be the cause of someone missing out on such a wonderful gift from God.)
It is also a test command (Exodus 16:4-5). For the waitress to have the sign of the Sabbath, she must pass a test. She must believe what God says in the Bible and obey regardless of hardship, financial or otherwise.
(Hence the confusion. She is not to work, no matter what, but she is free to cause others to work for her. That can be very difficult for a newly conceived member of God's family.)
The waitress, and the world, do not keep the Sabbath because they do not have that sign between them and God. They are not God's people who believe and obey God's word, and God is not their God whom they obey. Satan is the God of this world.
(And we are tossing them aside, basically saying that they have no hope in this age. God might very well call them into His Church at some point. Some laborers work the whole day, some half the day, and some the last hour of the day, but the wages are the same, remember?)
Things will be different in the millennium. Satan will be put away and the earth will be ruled by Christ. But this is Satan's world, and in a real sense it is not God's will that Satan's world have the true sign of the Sabbath at this time. For if that were the case, the Sabbath would not be a sign between God's true Church and God that separates us from the world.
(Aren't we to separate out from the world on the Sabbath and Holy Days? Not mix & mingle with those in it?)
(Our approach is obviously quite different. My comments are short and to the point, but I hope you take them in the spirit intended, which is as a loving discussion, not a battle to be won. I do hope you will reconsider, and any who have read our discourse will carefully consider what God says about the matter.
I bid you peace.)