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A Review of: “History Overview about the Sabbath Day.”
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By Stephen Billiter
Note: This is a review of a former Adventists’ website; Robert Chaffart who is attacking the Sabbath; not by saying that it was changed to Sunday, but that it is essentially no longer binding. Below is the website link.
http://www.sabbaths.org/sabbath.html
http://www.sabbaths.org/sabbath.html
And I quote here from the authors opening page:
“But I was to learn an important truth. My friends, God is not a God of doctrines. Truth is found in a person: John 14:6-7: Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." Truth can only be found in Jesus Christ and He wants to have a personal relationship with you!” (Italics mine).
From the very start, Robert Chaffart gives himself away as being in serious error, as he says that God is not a God of doctrines! Thus it now begs the question; If God is not a God of doctrines, well then it would certainly not matter to Him (God) whether the Sabbath is Saturday or Sunday; and perhaps Jesus saves if we meet His conditions or He does not? If God is not a God of doctrines; well….exactly what is Robert Chaffart trying to prove, and on what basis? If God is not a God of doctrines then we have no use for the Bible. Then Robert Chaffart proceeds to put a different spin on the doctrines that he says does not exist!
He then refers to Jesus Christ as if He was something other than the God of doctrines. Consider please: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made" (John 1:1-3). It was Christ who gave all of Scripture; and all of the Bible doctrines. It was Christ who thundered from Mt Sinai with lightning flashing as the people cowered in fear when the LORD in great power and majesty wrote the Ten Commandments with His own finger on tablets of stone; indicating its permanence; with the 4th Commandment shining in its own glory revealing the 7th Day Sabbath (Saturday) to His chosen people who has forgotten His day: “If you love Me, keep My commandments” Jesus says, (John 14:15).
Jesus Christ is the great I AM who spoke to Moses from the burning bush saying,” ….I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look on God” (Exodus 3:5,6).
John 8:57 Then said the Jews to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?”
John 8:58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, Before Abraham was, I AM.”
Let’s list some of the doctrines of the Bible:
1. Doctrine of Divine Revelation (2nd Peter 1:20,21).
2. Doctrine of God (Exodus 34:6; Nahum 1:3, see on the life of Christ).
3. Doctrine of the Holy Spirit (John 14:16,26; 15:26; 16:7).
4. Doctrine of Christ ( Romans 8:3, John 3:16, hundreds more).
5. The Doctrines of angels, trinity, repentance, salvation, grace, regeneration, faith, new earth, Ten Commandments, the Sabbath….. and thousands more.
6. To say that God is not a God of doctrines is to say that the Bible has no reason for its existence and we have nothing to base our faith on! There are thousands of different doctrines in the Bible.
Chapter 1: The first mention of the 7th Day
Robert Chaffart really seems confused about rest, and work, and the fact that in Genesis 2:1-3, God did not specify that the 7th day has an evening and a morning, like the other 6 days. This matter is rather trivial as the 7 day week has come down to us with no changes, just like it began in creation week. He says: “What possible relevance that can have, you may ask. If no ending was given to the seventh day, could it be that it was meant that Adam and Eve would enjoy a perpetual rest in the Garden of Eden? If you really think about it, they had no real work to perform.”
A perpetual rest? No work to perform? Not hardly. The Bible says: “And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it” (Gen 2:15). This short sentence simply tells us that Adam worked in the Garden of Eden. There is no reason to think that this work was trivial, or virtually non-existent. God did not create Adam and Eve to just have an unending season of leisure with no responsibilities. Jesus says about Himself and His Father: But Jesus answered them, “My Father works till now, and I work” (John 5:17).
The messenger of the LORD comments upon Adam’s work: “To Adam was given the work of caring for the garden. The Creator knew that Adam could not be happy without employment. The beauty of the garden delighted him, but this was not enough. He must have labor to call into exercise the wonderful organs of the body. Had happiness consisted in doing nothing, man, in his state of holy innocence, would have been left unemployed. But He who created man knew what would be for his happiness; and no sooner had He created him than He gave him his appointed work. The promise of future glory, and the decree that man must toil for his daily bread, came from the same throne” {AH 27.2}. I disagree with Robert Chaffart that Adam and Eve were granted a “perpetual rest” by God, and there is absolutely no Biblical evidence to support his position―but rather the evidence is in opposition to him.
Then he states: “It is also interesting to note that there is absolutely no reference in the Genesis story that states all mankind will keep the Sabbath. In fact, you will not find any reference in the entire book of Genesis (which spans the first 1/3 of this earth's history!) any reference to humans keeping the seventh day as a day of rest.” My answer to this is that God designed the Bible just how He wanted it, and common sense also tells us that from Adam and Eve to Noah and Abraham, God and angels communicated all of His law to men until it was written down at Mt. Sinai when mans memory began to fade in the fleshpots of Egypt after many centuries of sin. Besides: “Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws” (Gen 26:5). Only someone mis-led would question the fact that included in these commandments that Abraham kept is the 7th Day Sabbath….. “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exo 20:8).
It is also very noteworthy that man’s 6000 years of existence is nothing compared to eternity, as when Isaiah prophesied under inspiration: “For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD” (Isa 66:22,23). This Commandment attacker believes that he’s found “evidence” that the 7th Day Sabbath is invalid because of a minor so-called technicality that the Sabbath is not mentioned in Genesis as being kept by humans, yet he fails to note that the Bible says it will be kept forever! Sadly, this person is grasping at straws and ropes of sand.
A perpetual rest? No work to perform? Not hardly. The Bible says: “And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it” (Gen 2:15). This short sentence simply tells us that Adam worked in the Garden of Eden. There is no reason to think that this work was trivial, or virtually non-existent. God did not create Adam and Eve to just have an unending season of leisure with no responsibilities. Jesus says about Himself and His Father: But Jesus answered them, “My Father works till now, and I work” (John 5:17).
The messenger of the LORD comments upon Adam’s work: “To Adam was given the work of caring for the garden. The Creator knew that Adam could not be happy without employment. The beauty of the garden delighted him, but this was not enough. He must have labor to call into exercise the wonderful organs of the body. Had happiness consisted in doing nothing, man, in his state of holy innocence, would have been left unemployed. But He who created man knew what would be for his happiness; and no sooner had He created him than He gave him his appointed work. The promise of future glory, and the decree that man must toil for his daily bread, came from the same throne” {AH 27.2}. I disagree with Robert Chaffart that Adam and Eve were granted a “perpetual rest” by God, and there is absolutely no Biblical evidence to support his position―but rather the evidence is in opposition to him.
Then he states: “It is also interesting to note that there is absolutely no reference in the Genesis story that states all mankind will keep the Sabbath. In fact, you will not find any reference in the entire book of Genesis (which spans the first 1/3 of this earth's history!) any reference to humans keeping the seventh day as a day of rest.” My answer to this is that God designed the Bible just how He wanted it, and common sense also tells us that from Adam and Eve to Noah and Abraham, God and angels communicated all of His law to men until it was written down at Mt. Sinai when mans memory began to fade in the fleshpots of Egypt after many centuries of sin. Besides: “Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws” (Gen 26:5). Only someone mis-led would question the fact that included in these commandments that Abraham kept is the 7th Day Sabbath….. “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exo 20:8).
It is also very noteworthy that man’s 6000 years of existence is nothing compared to eternity, as when Isaiah prophesied under inspiration: “For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD” (Isa 66:22,23). This Commandment attacker believes that he’s found “evidence” that the 7th Day Sabbath is invalid because of a minor so-called technicality that the Sabbath is not mentioned in Genesis as being kept by humans, yet he fails to note that the Bible says it will be kept forever! Sadly, this person is grasping at straws and ropes of sand.
Chapter 2: The Sabbath from Genesis 3 to Exodus 16.
From the end of the chapter: “During the time from creation to Sinai, the Sabbath is not mentioned, yet other institutions of God are mentioned, and so are many of the other sins that were later addressed by the 10 commandments. If the Sabbath was to be kept throughout human's existence, why is the Bible silent about this for a period of 2000 years? There is not one inkling of a hint about it being kept by anyone during this period!” Not true, we just saw how Abraham: “kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws” (Gen 26:5).
My next thought is to suggest that the author ask God this question. Secondly, it’s common knowledge among Bible scholars that we build our doctrines upon what all of the Bible has to say on a topic, and not a certain text or portion of the Bible; and it seems dangerous and irreverent to question and judge God upon His Word―after all; “……..so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isa 55:9).
In addition, the word “covet” or any of its variants is not mentioned either until Exodus 20; which applies to the tenth commandment, “You shall not covet……”(Exo 20:17). My conclusion is that his point of reference in declaring the Sabbath is not mentioned after Genesis 2:3 until Mt Sinai is not anything significant to prove his point at all. It means absolutely nothing! Quite obviously the reference here to “Commandments” (Genesis 26:5) can be none other than the Ten Commandments. The 4th commandment in Exodus 20:8 starts out with the word, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” So his point here is certainly refuted.
My next thought is to suggest that the author ask God this question. Secondly, it’s common knowledge among Bible scholars that we build our doctrines upon what all of the Bible has to say on a topic, and not a certain text or portion of the Bible; and it seems dangerous and irreverent to question and judge God upon His Word―after all; “……..so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isa 55:9).
In addition, the word “covet” or any of its variants is not mentioned either until Exodus 20; which applies to the tenth commandment, “You shall not covet……”(Exo 20:17). My conclusion is that his point of reference in declaring the Sabbath is not mentioned after Genesis 2:3 until Mt Sinai is not anything significant to prove his point at all. It means absolutely nothing! Quite obviously the reference here to “Commandments” (Genesis 26:5) can be none other than the Ten Commandments. The 4th commandment in Exodus 20:8 starts out with the word, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” So his point here is certainly refuted.
Chapter 3: The first mention of Sabbath.
Here this former Adventist says:
“The first mention of the Sabbath can be found in Exodus 16, right after Israel was delivered from Egypt. Please notice how the concept of Sabbath seems so new to the Israelites. God had to carefully explain that concept like a teacher carefully explaining the concept of addition to a young child. Could it be that this really was a new concept to them? Could it be that no one in their day kept the Sabbath day of rest? Why is the Bible so silent about this?”
Quite obviously the children of Israel being in Egypt had forgotten the Sabbath during that 400 year captivity that covered several generations. So men grew up with their great-great-great-great-great grandfather having never kept the Sabbath, being used to Egypt and its idolatry as well as forgetting God’s law. In addition, at Sinai, the human race had deteriorated for about 3000 years from creation, and their mental state was such that they needed the laws written down for references and constant reminders. Again, I suggest that Robert Chaffart ask God why the Bible is silent where he thinks something should be said. Is it possible that humans can presume to judge God?
Chapter 4: The Sabbath in the 10 commandments.
He says: “It is also interesting to note that throughout the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy, God is clearly addressing the Israelites when He commands them to observe His Sabbaths. Ex 31:12-32: "Then the LORD said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites,….”
His point here seems to be that God is giving the Israelites the Sabbath and not the whole world. Please remember that God blessed the 7th day at the end of creation week long before Abraham, the first Jew. God’s chosen people, the Israelites was the repositories of God’s law, and the only people that He communicated with. The Israelites mission was to teach the stranger and the heathen about the true God:
Exodus 12:19 Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eats that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the land.
Exo 12:48 And when a stranger shall sojourn with you, and will keep the passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land: for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof.
The messenger of the LORD says:
“It was His purpose that as men should go forth to found nations in different parts of the earth they should carry with them a knowledge of His will, that the light of truth might shine undimmed to succeeding generations…….” {PP 120.2}.
“The people of God are His representatives upon the earth, and He intends that they shall be lights in the moral darkness of this world. Scattered all over the country, in the towns, cities, and villages, they are God's witnesses, the channels through which He will communicate to an unbelieving world the knowledge of His will and the wonders of His grace” {PP 134.2}.
Quite obviously, the Sabbath was given for the entire world!
Chapter 5: The Sabbath in the ceremonial law.
In this Chapter he tries to insinuate that the ceremonial law was above the moral law―namely the 7th Day Sabbath, but his reasoning appears to be skewed. He says: “The law of Moses stated that every male child was to be circumcised on the eighth day: Gen 17:12 "For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household." If this day happened to fall on the Sabbath day, the child would be circumcised, despite the fact that this was working on the Sabbath day of rest!”
Robert Chaffart is incorrect. Circumcision was a religious act signifying the covenant between God and the Israelites and constituted the LORD’s work which is never Sabbathbreaking if it falls on the Sabbath. By this wrong analogy, a priest doing anything on the Sabbath is Sabbathbreaking! It seems to me that this incorrect theology is way too much of a stretch for anyone to believe.
Chapter 6: Jesus and the Sabbath.
“Sure, He was breaking the Sabbath laws, but He had authority to do so.” Here Robert Chaffart shows that he charges Christ with sin. The Bible says something very different: “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Heb 4:15). Robert Chaffart is really saying that Jesus was LORD of the Sabbath which is true, and that He had the right to break the Sabbath. Were this true, he could not have been our perfect example; nor could He have been the worlds Redeemer, had He committed sin. Evidently, according to Robert Chaffart, Sabbathbreaking is not sin. We digress.
Chapter 7: The Sabbath after Jesus' resurrection.
“Every time a disciple attends a meeting on Sabbath, it is always in a synagogue, the place of worship for Jews, and not in a church, the place of worship for gentile and Jewish Christians. You cannot find one Bible text affirming that the early Christians were meeting together on Sabbath at church. Not one! If keeping the Sabbath is so important, why is the New Testament so silent about this?”
We must consider time and place in addressing the unfounded concerns of Robert Chaffart. This was a very early time of transition for believing Jews and Gentiles alike. A synagogue is really a church as well as a temple. Robert Chaffart is grasping for straws here because he really has not a single shred of evidence to prove his point that the Sabbath is no longer binding. The synagogues that were attended by plenty of worshippers on the Sabbath was the ideal place for Jesus and the apostles to preach the gospel. The New Testament is not silent about Jesus and the apostles attending church on the Sabbath:
Mark 1:21 And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the Sabbath day He entered into the synagogue, and taught.
Mark 6:2 And when the Sabbath day was come, He began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands?
Luke 4:16 And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up for to read.
Luke 6:6 And it came to pass also on another Sabbath, that He entered into the synagogue and taught: and there was a man whose right hand was withered.
Act 13:42 And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath.
Act 18:4 And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.
Now Robert Chaffart shifts gears and refers to the Sunday-keepers false interpretations of Colossians Chapter 2 which says:
Col 2:14 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;
Col 2:16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holy day, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
Col 2:17 which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.
Robert Chaffart then says: “What is Paul saying here?” “That all festivities (yearly, monthly and the weekly Sabbath) were but a shadow of the reality that is found in Christ.” “If you want to stand in Christ's shadow, please go ahead my friend.” “I prefer to stand in the reality of Christ.”
He says the 7th Day Sabbath is included here which it is not. Our first clue is the text in vs. 14, the “handwriting of ordinances.” These were not the Ten Commandments at all, which were written with God’s own finger (Exo 31:18) and put inside the ark ((Ex. 40:20;Deut.10:1-5). The handwriting was Moses’ writing on parchments and kept in the side of the ark as we see here:
Deu 31:24 And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished,
Deu 31:25 That Moses commanded the Levites, which bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD, saying,
Deu 31:26 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.
Col. 2:16 says: “the sabbath days” not the Sabbath. The feast days that were ordinances were also called Sabbaths in which Christ fulfilled the substance of, and were a shadow of things to come. For the differences in the moral and the ceremonial law please see: Moral/Ceremonial Laws.
Additionally, Robert Chaffart says:
“Now, most Gentiles never kept the Sabbath day rest, unless they befriended the Jewish faith. Wouldn't it be logical that if these Gentile Christians should keep the Sabbath day holy, that this requirement should be added to the requirements decided by the council of Jerusalem under the guidance of God's Holy Spirit? But it is not there! Why add requirements that God did not ask us to keep? Do we think that God may have forgotten to add this requirement? If we do, that we are thinking that we are better that God! Acts 15:10: "Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear?"
Robert Chaffart here jumps to illogical assumptions because it is very clear that the question of keeping the 7th Day Sabbath was never an issue with Jews or converted Christians in the first century. No requirement need to be added about the Sabbath simply because keeping it was never controversial until after 321 AD at Constantines’ Sunday Law, and the subsequent papal apostasy.
Chapter 8: Jesus' New Commandments.
Jesus never made any new commandments, but He did give us deeper understandings of all ten. Robert Chaffart says:
Commandment 4: Ex 20:8-11 "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy."
“No Bible text from Acts to Revelation backing this up!” (Robert Chaffart).
We already know that the 4th commandment was never an issue in the 1st century and the early church. But there are plenty of texts that mention the Sabbath mainly because the Jews were trying to accuse Jesus of Sabbathbreaking; or that Jesus and the apostles worshipped at church on the Sabbath. The NT is very clear that we should keep the commandments; all of them. The Bible does not say that the 7th Day Sabbath is no longer binding, or that there is only 9 commandments now instead of ten. Here are the most important commandment-keeping texts in the New Testament:
John 14:15 If you love me, keep my commandments.
1Jn 2:4 He that said, I know him, and keeps not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
Rev 12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Rev 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
Rev 22:14 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.
We rest our case! These verses mean all Ten Commandments.
Chapter 9: Possible Objections.
In this chapter, Robert Chaffart says that this verse was fulfilled only in the fulfillment of the ceremonial law: “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill; For truly I say to you, Till heaven and earth pass, one stroke or one pronunciation mark shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled” (Mat 5:17).
Then Robert Chaffart says: “In this context we can better understand Matt 5:18-19: "Until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished." God's law was not abolished. It was fulfilled in Jesus Christ. The shadow found its reality!".
Not so. Please notice the very next verse: Mat 5:19: “Whoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”
It is very clear that Jesus here is talking about the Ten Commandments. The ceremonial laws were not called commandments, however they were called statutes and laws: “Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws” (Gen 26:5). Jesus also fulfilled the Ten Commandments because He; did not break a single one of them! He was the sinless Son of God.
b. Isn't the seal of God, mentioned in the book of Revelation, the Sabbath?
Here Robert Chaffart confuses the sealing of the Holy Spirit with the final seal of God given just before probation closes; and he says: “Where is it written in the book of Revelation that the seal of God is the Sabbath. For that matter, nowhere is it written in the whole Bible that the seal of God is the Sabbath. We can use human arguments to argue what the seal of God could be, but I trust God's Word on that. God's Word is the ultimate authority for any arguments! Let's look at how the Bible defines the Seal of God:
Eph 1:13-14 "And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession-to the praise of his glory."
Eph 4:30 "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption."
Of course the Bible interprets itself because God chose to hide parts of His word couched either in symbols, or found by line upon line, and precept upon precept. A sign and a mark is synonymous with a seal as well. In addition, just like human kings and presidents, a rulers seal in found in his name, title, authority, and territory. The seal of God is found in the very heart of the commandments; the 4th: “But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it” (Exo 20:10,11).
His name is the LORD (in Hebrew it is yehôvâh), His title is God, and His authority is the Creator, and His territory is the “heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them.” Thus we find in the 7th Day Sabbath Commandment the sign and seal of the living God! When the mark of the beast comes out, the Sabbath/Sunday controversy will be noticed worldwide. And the ones that are loyal to God will be especially noted because they keep the 7th Day Sabbath despite the persecution that Satan and the world puts them through. Thus we reject as unbiblical, Robert Chaffarts’ false assumption that the seal of the Holy Spirit is the final seal of God and not the Sabbath. Ironically, it is the Holy Spirit that convicts us that the Sabbath is binding and valid thus sealing the Sabbath in our minds. For more detailed information about the seal of God please see: Sign of Loyalty.
c. Isn't there a text in Isaiah proclaiming that Sabbath will be kept in heaven?
In this section, Robert Chaffart tries to refute Isaiah 66:22,23 which says: “For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD".
Robert Chaffart says: “First of all, this text not only talks about Sabbaths, but also of New Moons. If we want to keep the Sabbath, based on this text, we also need to keep the monthly New Moons. Isn't Isaiah talking about continual worship here?” Robert Chaffart erroneously refers to “Sabbaths” as if in reference to feast day ceremonial sabbaths. Isaiah uses the singular case “Sabbath.” Most Adventist expositors do agree that “new moon” means continuous worship.
Robert Chaffart also misinterprets part of Chapter 65 and 66, not understanding that the prophet switches back and forth repeatedly from the current and near future in Israel, and the glories of the new earth. Robert Chaffart says: “Secondly, heaven isn't that attractive with all those "dead bodies of those who rebelled against God!” This is a reference to this verse: Isa 65:20:“There shall be no more there an infant of days, nor an old man that has not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed.”
This writer thinks there will be death in heaven! Not so. This verse refers to Israel as God would bless them with long life conditional upon their obedience. We know that when Jesus comes; death will be the last enemy to be defeated.
d. Didn't Jesus say that we should pray that we will not have to flee on the Sabbath day?
Quoted: “This text is found in Matt 24:20: "Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath.”First of all was it a sin to flee on the Sabbath day? Nowhere in the Bible is it mentioned that it was a sin. The Israelites were supposed not to work on that day. (Ex 20:10" On it you shall not do any work…") Fleeing is not considered working, is it?"
Well, it must be considered either sinful, or not a good thing to do. After all, how can one attend the synagogue and meet the LORD for the Sabbath convocation if he is fleeing or traveling on the Sabbath? Walking all day, or riding your camel or donkey is very tiring and is not resting on the Sabbath is it? We should follow the example of God on the Sabbath and He rested: Gen 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.”
Then he says: “Nehemiah instituted some regulations about the business that was being conducted on the Sabbath day. The surrounding gentiles were bringing their wares to sell in Jerusalem on Sabbath. Nehemiah made sure that this would not be possible any longer when the walls of Jerusalem were rebuilt. These regulations were still in effect in Jesus' days. No disciple could flee on Sabbath, because the gates of Jerusalem were closed on that day. No one could get in, and no one could get out.”
This is partially incorrect. The prophecy that Jesus gave was about the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, when he said “there shall not be one stone left on another” (Mat 24:2) and “pray that your flight not be on the Sabbath day” (Mat 24:20).Jesus warned the disciples to heed the warning that when “Jerusalem shall be compassed with armies,” (Luke 21:20) and that when they saw these things it would be time to flee (Vs. 21). So when the Roman armies surrounded Jerusalem and then mysteriously withdrew; Christians knew that was the signal that Christ gave. When the Romans were surrounding the city, obviously the gates were closed all the time. When the Romans withdrew, the gates were opened. The Spirit of Prophecy does not say on what day the Christians fled from Jerusalem.
Chapter 10: Historical texts of Christians meeting together.
First Robert Chaffart says: “Ellen White, prophet of the Seventh-day Adventist church clearly indicates that the Sabbath was changed to Sunday observance by Constantine.” This is not accurate as she merely says that this was a beginning. She is clear that the papacy is really responsible for the presumed change. Consider:
“God's memorial, the seventh-day Sabbath, the sign of His work in creating the world, has been displaced by the man of sin. God's people have a special work to do in repairing the breach that has been made in His law; and the nearer we approach the end, the more urgent this work becomes. All who love God will show that they bear His sign by keeping His commandments. They are the restorers of paths to dwell in. . . . {ChS 140.1}. We know that the man of sin refers to the pope, or popes, and the papacy at large. The man of sin was certainly not Constantine.
Now Robert Chaffart gives several references supposedly from AD90; here is the first:
“Now let us study together texts written by the church fathers, dating from 90 A.D. to A.D.”
* XXX. “On the day of the resurrection of the Lord, that is, the Lord's day, assemble yourselves together, without fail, giving thanks to God, and praising Him for those mercies God has bestowed upon you through Christ, and has delivered you from ignorance, error, and bondage, that your sacrifice may be unspotted, and acceptable to God, who has said concerning His universal Church: "In every place shall incense and a pure sacrifice be offered unto me; for I am a great King, saith the Lord Almighty, and my name is wonderful among the heathen."
Didache (90 AD), Constitutions of the Holy Apostles, Book XXX HOW WE OUGHT TO ASSEMBLE TOGETHER, AND TO CELEBRATE THE FESTIVAL DAY OF OUR SAVIOUR'S RESURRECTION.
Now the problem with this is that it is false information, the dates are wrong! Here is the true story: “They’re from the Apostolic Constitutions, a document from around 250 to 350 AD.” Here is the source: http://www.truthorfables.net/bible_ca.htm. AD 90 is close to the time that the Book of Revelation was written and the idea that Sunday was kept then is ludicrous.
Then Robert Chaffart uses another quote that is quite controversial and cannot be accepted at face value, from the Epistle of St. Ignatius around 107-115 AD:
“CHAPTER 9 9:1 “If, therefore, they who were under the older dispensation came into a new hope, no longer keeping the Sabbath, but living in observance of the Lord's day, on which day also our life rose through him and through his death…….Ignatius (107 AD), The Epistle of St. Ignatius of Antioch to the Magnesians chapter 9:1 and 2.”
However, this is quite controversial and here is what one scholar said, a former Adventist theologian who passed away in 2009:
“Was Sunday already observed by few or by many in the province of Asia at the time of Ignatius (ca. A.D. 115)? This can hardly be established by the problematic passage of Magnesians 9:1. The key sentence "no longer sabbatizing but living according to the Lord’s life (or Lord’s day)," in recent times has been subjected to considerable scrutiny by various scholars.”
“To read in the passage a reference to Sunday, it is necessary either to insert the substantive "day—hemeran" or to assume that the latter is implied by the usage of a cognate accusative. But, as pointed out by Fritz Guy, "in the seven letters there is no appearance of such a cognate accusative construction." This would be the only exception. Moreover the noun "life—zoen" is present in the oldest extant Greek manuscript (Codex Mediceus Laurentinus); thus "Lord’s life" is the most likely translation………The "sabbatizing" then which Ignatius condemns, in the context of the conduct of the prophets, could hardly be the repudiation of the Sabbath as a day, but rather, as R. B. Lewis, asserts, "the keeping of the Sabbath in a certain manner—Judaizing”( From the website: http://www.biblicalperspectives.com/books/sabbath_to_sunday/7.html).
In the rest of this chapter, Robert Chaffart gives extra-Biblical quotes from the unacceptable Epistle of Barnabus, an extra-canonical book and such as that. These things prove nothing, and are simply Satan’s attacks upon God’s word, the Bible, in which we have irrefutable proof that the 7th Day Sabbath is still one of the Ten Commandments. God’s law cannot be changed despite the best efforts of man and demons working together. If anyone has questions on any of these further quotes that I did not address, please use the contact form on this website and we will be happy to provide an answer.
Chapter 11: The New Testament and the first Day of the week.
In this chapter, this former Adventist Sabbath detractor gives 9 Sunday related texts and tries to prove something that cannot be done. Because these are Bible texts, I feel that it is vital to review every one of them. Additionally, towards the end of the section he says:
“The question should not be “Where in the Bible is it written that Sabbath was changed to Sunday?” This is a trick question, as nowhere is it written that the Sabbath was changed into Sunday. The question should be “What day did the first Christians come together and why?” The overwhelming evidence points out to meet on Sunday to commemorate Jesus resurrection.”
There is not a single shred of proof that the early Christians met to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus as we shall see. There is also other vital Biblical evidence that Robert Chaffart has omitted as well (see on chapter 7 where I brought out the fact that Jesus and the apostles went to church on the Sabbath). Christians may meet on any day of the week to have Bible studies, pray, and exhort each other, and may include breaking bread or having breakfast, lunch, or dinner. However, there is only one day out of 7 that is sanctified and made Holy in the Ten Commandments, and that day is Saturday. If God had changed the day to Sunday, then He would explicitly have said so in the Bible where there could be no mistake. However, that text is simply not there! Now we will review these 9 points (my comments in red).
1. Jesus was resurrected on Sunday:
John 20:1 “Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.”
Mark 16:9-10 “When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons.” NIV
Yes He was, but that is all it says, nowhere is there a command to change the Sabbath from the 7th Day to the first.
2. Jesus appeared to the disciples on Sunday:
John 20:19 “On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!"
The followers of Jesus could not have been celebrating the resurrection; please consider: “with the doors locked for fear of the Jews,” is hardly a commemoration of the resurrection.” We still have no Sabbath change text.
3. A week later Jesus appears to His disciples again on Sunday.
John 20:26 “A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!"”
This is all it says, nothing more.
4. Pentecost (The outpouring of God’s Holy Spirit) happened on Sunday.
Acts 2:1 “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.”
Again, that’s all it says.
5. The Christian’s first public sermon delivered by Peter happened on Sunday.
Acts 2:14-15 “Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: "Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say.”
Once again, these texts are about the day of Pentecost―not the Sabbath.
6. The first baptisms performed by the early Christian church happened on Sunday:
Acts 2:41 “Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.”
Once again, these texts are about the day of Pentecost―not the Sabbath.
7. Although Paul stayed seven days at Troas, Scriptures do not mention any Christian meeting on Sabbath but on the first day of the week.
Acts 20:6-8 “But we sailed from Philippi after the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and five days later joined the others at Troas, where we stayed seven days. On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight.”
Nothing is said about the Sabbath. Again Robert Chaffart is questioning God because God does not mention a meeting on the Sabbath here. We never know when God is providing for us an additional test. We are tested on the Bible; do we believe it; or not?
8. Paul encourages the Christians of Corinth to set aside a sum of money to help the poor of Jerusalem on Sunday.
1 Cor 16:2 “On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.”
Again, Paul is not changing the Sabbath. At that time, tithes were still given and collected in the synagogue on the Sabbath for the Jewish religion. Most likely, because these monies were for the new church, Paul found it necessary to make collections away from the Jewish temples.
Paul says “that when I come no collections will have to be made.” Paul still did a lot of preaching on the Sabbath in the synagogues. Then after the Sabbath, it was more efficient to have the offerings waiting for him the next day so that he could travel on and raise up more churches.
9. John had a vision on “the Lord's Day”.
Rev 1:10 “ On the Lord's Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet…”
He sure did, but this Lord’s Day was the 7th Day Sabbath simply because we find no change of the day in the Bible. Nowhere does it say that this day was the 1st day, period. Moreover Jesus says: Mar 2:28: “Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath.” Clearly the LORDs day is the Sabbath―Saturday.
He sure did, but this Lord’s Day was the 7th Day Sabbath simply because we find no change of the day in the Bible. Nowhere does it say that this day was the 1st day, period. Moreover Jesus says: Mar 2:28: “Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath.” Clearly the LORDs day is the Sabbath―Saturday.
Chapter 12: The difference between the two Testaments.
In this chapter Robert Chaffart tries to prove that the old covenant in which the Ten Commandments is a part of, was done away with by Christs’ death. However, he only wants to apply the Sabbath to this and not the other nine!
He says: “The Bible is clear that the Sabbath is a sign between God and the Israelites and was part of the Old Covenant.”
True, but nowhere does the Bible do away with the 7th Day Sabbath. That means since the old and the new covenants were really given to the whole world, then these are not strictly applied to the Jews. The Chosen people were the repositories of God’s laws and covenants, and all peoples were invited to seek the LORD and join in with them. So there is nothing applied to the Jews in the past that was not effective to the entire world, and so it is still true today. Only the laws of ordinances in which Moses wrote with his hand are nailed to the cross. At the stoning of Stephen the gospel was then given to the Gentiles which is the end of the 70 weeks of Daniel 9:24.
He says: “The Bible is clear that the Sabbath is a sign between God and the Israelites and was part of the Old Covenant.”
True, but nowhere does the Bible do away with the 7th Day Sabbath. That means since the old and the new covenants were really given to the whole world, then these are not strictly applied to the Jews. The Chosen people were the repositories of God’s laws and covenants, and all peoples were invited to seek the LORD and join in with them. So there is nothing applied to the Jews in the past that was not effective to the entire world, and so it is still true today. Only the laws of ordinances in which Moses wrote with his hand are nailed to the cross. At the stoning of Stephen the gospel was then given to the Gentiles which is the end of the 70 weeks of Daniel 9:24.
Conclusion
Here is Robert Chaffart’s conclusion, and then I will give mine.
“Please prayerfully consider all the facts that have been given here. Don’t be deceived! The Sabbath was never changed into Sunday. This is true. However, Sabbath found its reality in Jesus, who is the only One who could ever proclaim: Matt 11:28-29 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
“The Sabbath rest in the New Covenant is not a once a week occurrence any longer. It is a daily occurrence through Jesus Christ.”
“Please prayerfully consider all the facts that have been given here. Don’t be deceived! The Sabbath was never changed into Sunday. This is true. However, Sabbath found its reality in Jesus, who is the only One who could ever proclaim: Matt 11:28-29 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
“The Sabbath rest in the New Covenant is not a once a week occurrence any longer. It is a daily occurrence through Jesus Christ.”
My Conclusion
Robert Chaffart says in closing that the Sabbath has somehow been spiritualized away “in Jesus.” We observed from the very beginning that he says “God is not a God of doctrines.” We have seen that in every one of his 12 chapters that he spends a lot of time presenting Bible doctrines with mis-construed interpretations attached to them. We also know that anyone who has rejected Bible truth will not understand much of the Bible as we can see from his article. The LORD says: “If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself” (John 7:17). Doing His will also means keeping the Commandments―all ten of them. In other words when one rejects any part of the Ten Commandments then that person will become confused upon Bible truth.
In these last days, we need the final seal of God to be among the saved in paradise. As we have shown, the 7th Day Sabbath is the seal of God and will divide those who worship God and those who worship Him not. God changes not, and Jesus Christ is the same today, yesterday and forever. So we are not confused over this Sabbath issue as the Bible is plain that the Sabbath is one of the Ten Commandments of the moral law written with God’s own finger upon tablets of stone and placed inside the Ark of the Covenant. The perceived confusion is that the papacy has presumed to have changed the Sabbath to Sunday, and though Robert Chaffart recognizes that the Sabbath is not changed to Sunday; he still appears to have fallen into this snare. We do sympathize with all Adventists who have left the truth and the true church, and our prayer is that they all will come back as the messenger of the LORD affirms that some will:
“When the storm of persecution really breaks upon us, the true sheep will hear the true Shepherd's voice. Self-denying efforts will be put forth to save the lost, and many who have strayed from the fold will come back to follow the great Shepherd. The people of God will draw together, and present to the enemy a united front. . . . The love of Christ, the love of our brethren, will testify to the world that we have been with Jesus and learned of Him. Then will the message of the third angel swell to a loud cry, and the whole earth will be lightened with the glory of the Lord.”--Testimonies, vol. 6, p. 401. (1900) {Ev 693.2}
So we leave you with this reminder of the verification of the 7th Day Sabbath:
Exodus 20:8: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.”
Exodus 20:9: “Six days shall you labor, and do all your work”
Exodus 20:10: “But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God: in it you shall not do any work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger that is within your gates”
Exodus 20:11: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: why the LORD blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.
Revelation 22:14: “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.”
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"The author, Steve Billiter is single and currently resides in Reno NV with 3 grown children and several grandchildren who all live elsewhere. He is a full-time college student starting his 5th semester at Truckee Meadows Community College in Reno in the fall of 2010, and transferring to the University Of Nevada, Reno, in January 2011; LORD willing, and majoring in Social Work. He will be joining the Sacramento Central SDA Church by September 2010 and is involved in literature work and other ministry; being first baptized in the Adventist church 29 years ago by Lyle Albrecht. Steve has worked primarily as a carpenter over the years."