Sabbath Seal Of God Or Just A Sign? Questions: 1. In what sense is the Sabbath the seal of God? 2. In what sense is the Sabbath a sign of God to His people? 3. Is it safe to say that the Sabbath is not the seal of God? 4. Where in the Bible and the Spirit of prophecy does it mention that the Sabbath is not the seal of God? 5. How important it is to recognize the Seal of God? 6. Will the Sabbath be changed as a seal of God when people will not be sealed although they teach to others that it is indeed the seal of God because of their unchristlike character? 7. Is godly character the seal of God? In Creation Ge:1:26: And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. Ge:1:31: And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. Ge:2:1: Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. Ge:2:2: And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. Ge:2:3: And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made. Understanding: Who worked six days during creation? It was God who worked that week of creation and not Adam and Eve. Did God needs to rest because He was tired? The answer is “No”. What is the meaning of rest then in the context of God resting on the seventh day? Research: 1. The Hebrew word for rested, vyenafesh, can sometimes mean rest, ensouled, breath, to catch ones breath, sweet fragrance, passion, and inner being of man. A nefesh can also mean a living being. In the context of Shabbat, God ensouled [treasure] this day when He rested. While it is true that many translations of the Bible such as the New Revised Version Standard (NRSV), the King James Version (KJV) and others render the word Shavat as rested a more accurate translation of Shavat is abstained, i.e., God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it because He abstained from all His work which God created to make (Gen. 2:4). Nachmanides (12th century) interpreted these words to mean he ceased to perform all His creative work. Ref: Rabbi Dr. Michael Samuel, Jewish Virtual Library 2. The terms Shabbat and Shabbaton are not interchangeable. They do not have the same meaning. The Shabbat (Hebrew, tBv; ) is a day of cessation from regular work. The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (TWOT) defines shabbat as meaning to cease, desist, rest. The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament (HALOT) presents our word as to cease, stop; to come to an end; to rest. Almost exclusively, the term shabbat as a noun refers to the seventh day of the week, which Yahuwah blessed and separated in Creation: By the seventh day Elohim had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And Elohim blessed the seventh day and separated it, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. (Bereshith 2:2-3) Reference: David M. Rogers, Bible Truth. Cc,2010. It is clear that God ceased His work, had a deep breath of satisfaction and not because He was tired. Anyway, if God had not ceased His labor just to be with them how Adam and Eve could knew who their creator was. They never saw who created them but when God breathed into their nostrils and they became living souls it was the face of God they saw first. But seeing the face of God first is not enough for man to believe He is the creator. He stayed with them the whole day during the sixth day giving them instructions and on the sunset He sealed His relationship with them as their creator by ceasing His work and just having time with them to acquaint them with His love and creatorship. Human beings has to sleep and I presume they sleep soundly that first night after that long day of being with God and hearing His lovely voice of instructions. In the morning, God showed Himself to them again, just to be with them and let them be more acquainted to Him while they worshipped Him in admiration of His character and His power in creation. When sunset came, the end of the seventh day, this is where God had a deep breath of satisfaction because He had sanctified, blessed and rested in the seventh day, the seal of His creatorship and being known to His created beings. Without God with man on the first Sabbath man would never truly understand the real character of their creator and would even be confused of their existence. That is why the Sabbath forever sealed the relationship of man to God. Without the Sabbath there could never be a relationship between God and man. There could never be true worship for worship is choosing whom we honor and trust not by force but by our own choices. In choosing Saturday as our day of worship intellectually and spiritually we proclaim our root and allegiance to God. In choosing the counterfeit day, Sunday, as our day of worship, intellectually and spiritually, we proclaim our rebellion to the true creator for we are worshipping the enemy of God, the first rebel in heaven, Lucifer. So the day of worship is a sacred truth that is why this is the only commandment that bears the the seal of God as the creator of heaven and earth. In the fourth commandment is found the seal of Gods law. This only, of all the ten, brings to view the name and the title of the Lawgiver. It declares Him to be the Creator of the heavens and the earth, and thus shows His claim to reverence and worship above all others. Aside from this precept, there is nothing in the Decalogue to show by whose authority the law was given. {ST, March 22, 1910 par. 2} The Sabbath enjoined by the fourth commandment was instituted to commemorate the work of creation. Had the seventh day always been kept, there would never have been an idolater, and atheist, or an infidel. The sacred observance of Gods holy day would have directed the minds of men to their Creator, the true and living God. Everything in nature also would have brought Him to their remembrance; and would have borne witness to His power and love. {ST, March 22, 1910 par. 3} The Sabbath of the fourth commandment is the seal of the living God. It points to God as the Creator, and is the sign of His rightful authority over the beings He has made. Those who obey this law will bear the seal of God, for He has set apart this day as a sign of loyalty between Himself and His people. To Moses on Mount Sinai He said, Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily My Sabbaths ye shall keep; for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you. {ST, March 22, 1910 par. 4} The mark of the beast is the opposite of this,--the observance of the first day of the week as the sabbath enforced by human law. This mark distinguishes those who acknowledge the supremacy of the papal authority from those who acknowledge the authority of God. {ST, March 22, 1910 par. 5} The background why God made the Sabbath as a sign for His people Eze:20:6: In the day that I lifted up mine hand unto them, to bring them forth of the land of Egypt into a land that I had espied for them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands: Eze:20:7: Then said I unto them, Cast ye away every man the abominations of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt: I am the LORD your God. Eze:20:8: But they rebelled against me, and would not hearken unto me: they did not every man cast away the abominations of their eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt: then I said, I will pour out my fury upon them to accomplish my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt. Eze:20:9: But I wrought for my names sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, among whom they were, in whose sight I made myself known unto them, in bringing them forth out of the land of Egypt. Eze:20:10: Wherefore I caused them to go forth out of the land of Egypt, and brought them into the wilderness. Eze:20:11: And I gave them my statutes, and shewed them my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them. Eze:20:12: Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD that sanctify them. Eze:20:13: But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness: they walked not in my statutes, and they despised my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them; and my sabbaths they greatly polluted: then I said, I would pour out my fury upon them in the wilderness, to consume them. Eze:20:14: But I wrought for my names sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, in whose sight I brought them out. Eze:20:15: Yet also I lifted up my hand unto them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands; Eze:20:16: Because they despised my judgments, and walked not in my statutes, but polluted my sabbaths: for their heart went after their idols. Eze:20:17: Nevertheless mine eye spared them from destroying them, neither did I make an end of them in the wilderness. Eze:20:18: But I said unto their children in the wilderness, Walk ye not in the statutes of your fathers, neither observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols: Eze:20:19: I am the LORD your God; walk in my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them; Eze:20:20: And hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am the LORD your God. Eze:20:21: Notwithstanding the children rebelled against me: they walked not in my statutes, neither kept my judgments to do them, which if a man do, he shall even live in them; they polluted my sabbaths: then I said, I would pour out my fury upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the wilderness. Eze:20:22: Nevertheless I withdrew mine hand, and wrought for my names sake, that it should not be polluted in the sight of the heathen, in whose sight I brought them forth. Understanding: In the act of God in giving His seal as a sign to His people He was showing them that He is renewing His covenant to them despite their rebellion in Egypt. Here is portrayed the long suffering and patience of God toward His rebellious people. People will blame the circumstances of their lives to the wrong actions they took but in the history of God’s people are seen that the circumstances in life are not all the reasons of their wrong actions but the choices they made. They were brought out of the Land of Egypt that they will not be hindered to worship their God anymore but in the wilderness they still rebelled against God that only Joshua and Caleb remained of all the grown- ups that came out of Egypt to enter the land of Canaan. The sign here never erased the truth that the Sabbath is still the seal of God. For what is in the Sabbath that is so sacred except it bears the seal of the creator. Exodus 31:17 It will be a sign between me and the Israelites forever, for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed. Ex:31:12: And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Ex:31:13: Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you. Ex:31:14: Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. Ex:31:15: Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. Ex:31:16: Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. Ex:31:17: It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed. Ex:31:18: And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God. Eze:20:9: But I wrought for my names sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, among whom they were, in whose sight I made myself known unto them, in bringing them forth out of the land of Egypt. In not bringing His judgment to the Israelites in Egypt, God manifested mercy to the heathen nation that God can do wonderful things to His people in delivering them out of their hands that they too might have an opportunity to see who the true God really is. Now, of all the sacredness of the Sabbath, is it safe to say that is not the seal of God? Is godly character the seal of God? The seal of the living God will be placed upon those only who bear a likeness to Christ in character.--7BC 970 (1895). {LDE 221.1} Just as soon as the people of God are sealed in their foreheads--it is not any seal or mark that can be seen, 220 but a settling into the truth, both intellectually and spiritually, so they cannot be moved--just as soon as Gods people are sealed and prepared for the shaking, it will come. Indeed, it has begun already.--4BC 1161 (1902). Those who would have the seal of God in their foreheads must keep the Sabbath of the fourth commandment.--7BC 970 (1899). {LDE 220.2} True observance of the Sabbath is the sign of loyalty to God.--7BC 981 (1899). {LDE 220.3} The fourth commandment alone of all the ten contains the seal of the great Lawgiver, the Creator of the heavens and the earth.--6T 350 (1900). {LDE 220.4} The observance of the Lords memorial, the Sabbath instituted in Eden, the seventh-day Sabbath, is the test of our loyalty to God.--Letter 94, 1900. {LDE 220.5} Not one of us will ever receive the seal of God while our characters have one spot or stain upon them. It is left with us to remedy the defects in our characters, to cleanse the soul-temple of every defilement. Then the latter rain will fall upon us as the early rain fell upon the disciples on the day of Pentecost. {CET 189.2} Understanding: The seal of God is not the character. There is nothing in the character that will testify of the creatorship of God no matter how righteous. The character is formed by accepting the sacrifice of Christ in the cross that then imputes His merit to us and that gave us our robe of righteousness but we must maintain its purity and when our faith in Him is genuine we will have His nature, His divine character that He imparts to us every day to keep our garments white and pure and without stain. By our choice to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit Christ is able to impart to us the loveliness of His character. When we have His character in us, He then will seal us with His seal, and this seal is the Sabbath. “Not one of us will ever receive the seal of God while our characters have one spot or stain upon them.”—CET 189.2 To receive means you don’t have it yet. Your character is in you. You have it by choice,but the seal is yet to be given by God. How dangerous it is then to preach that the seal of God is in the character. It is belittling the truth of the sanctity of the seal of God in the Sabbath. It is only in the Sabbath that the seal of God can be found and character is very important for it will determine whether we will receive the seal of God but it is not the seal of God. 6. Will the Sabbath be changed as a seal of God when people will not be sealed although they teach to others that it is indeed the seal of God because of their unchristlike character? Not all who profess to keep the Sabbath will be sealed. There are many even among those who teach the truth to others who will not receive the seal of God in their foreheads. They had the light of truth, they knew their Masters will, they understood every point of our faith, but they had not corresponding works. These who were so familiar with prophecy and the treasures of divine wisdom, should have acted their faith. They should have commanded their households after them, that by a well-ordered family they might present to the world the influence of the truth upon the human heart. {CET 189.1} Not one of us will ever receive the seal of God while our characters have one spot or stain upon them. It is left with us to remedy the defects in our characters, to cleanse the soul-temple of every defilement. Then the latter rain will fall upon us as the early rain fell upon the disciples on the day of Pentecost. {CET 189.2} Understanding: Therefore the sanctification promised is in the genuineness of our profession. But the failure of other believers so called to receive the seal does not change the authenticity of the seal of God in the Sabbath and there are also those who will be sealed.
Posted on: Mon, 06 Oct 2014 09:33:41 +0000
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