Addressing some anti-Sabbath arguments and other studies by Palehorse

[PaleHorse]

Probably the #1 most questioned part of the SDA doctrine is the one that is most apparent; why do we keep the 7th day Sabbath (from Friday sundown to Saturday sundown) instead of Sunday as most Protestant churches do? Well, that is what this essay is for; to answer that very question.

In this series of posts I hope to cover the SDA answers to the various arguments posed against Sabbath keeping. This thread is NOT intended to be a "debate" thread; I just wanted to provided the quick answers to those who question our doctrine of seventh-day Sabbath keeping.

Argument #1:
"The Sabbath was for the Jews.¨
o It is not a Jewish institution, for it was made about 2,300 years before Jews existed, right at creation.Genesis 2:2-3. To say the Sabbath is just for Jews is to say that marriage is just for the Jews as well since both the Sabbath and marriage were given to Adam and Eve in the beginning.
o The Bible never calls it the Jewish Sabbath, but always "the Sabbath of the Lord thy God" or "my Sabbath¨ (meaning it is God's Sabbath).
o Mark 2:27 - And he said unto them, The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath:
(Made for who? MAN! That is a silly way to spell Jew or Israelite.) “Man” here means mankind.
o God has pronounced a special blessing on all the Gentiles who will keep it.Isaiah 56:6,7

Argument #2:
"That was the old covenant - Jesus did away with the Sabbath and all the other ceremonial laws.”
o When the Son of God came, He kept the seventh day all His life.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.¨ Thus Jesus followed His Father's example at creation. Shall we not be safe in following the example of both the Father and the Son?
o The Ten Commandments were not part of Moses’ ceremonial law as Exodus 19, 20, and 31 clearly show. Also, there are many Bible references that show there was a distinguishment made between the Commandments and that of Moses’ book of the law.
o Instead of abolishing the Sabbath, Jesus carefully taught how it should be observed.Matthew 12:1-13
o Jesus is also known as the Lord of the Sabbath.Matthew 12:8. Why be Lord of something you were going to abolish?
o Christ instructed His apostles that the Sabbath should be prayerfully regarded forty years after His resurrection.Matthew 24:20. When one reads all of Matt 24 they’ll see that Jesus was warning the disciples of the upcoming destruction of Jerusalem – which occurred about 40 years after His resurrection. Are we to believe that Christ didn’t know when this siege would take place?
o Thirty years after Christ's resurrection, the Holy Spirit expressly calls it "the Sabbath day." Acts 13:14-16.Sounds like the Sabbath was still in effect even then, well after Christ's death.
o The New Testament alone mentions the Sabbath day no less than 84 times - sounds like God is trying to tell us something. And never once is there a change of the Sabbath day to any other nor was it abolished.
o Luke 23:56 - And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment. Jesus' own mother observed the Sabbath AFTER Jesus died. If He had changed or done away with the Sabbath day (having nailed it to the cross), wouldn't His own mother have known it? She was a follower of the Messiah; Mary was certainly a Christian despite her ethnicity, just as Christians all over the world are.



Argument #3:
"God doesn't care what day we observe.¨
o Isa 56:13&14 "If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the Sabbatha delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it."
- "THE¨ is defined as "an absolute, genuine article¨. The verse doesn't say "a" Sabbath day - it clearly says "the" Sabbath day; it's very specific.
o Exodus 20:8-11, 31:13-17, "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 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."
- Once God blesses, hallows, and sanctifies something it is that way forever. God doesn't change (Malachi 3:6) nor does His law (Luke 16:17) nor does His Sabbath, nor does His baptism for that matter.(Ephesians 4:5) This verse also specifies a particular definite day; the seventh day, which we call Saturday. It starts at sundown on Friday and ends at sundown on Saturday according to OT reckoning.
o Any time one looks up the Sabbath in the Bible it is always described it as being on the seventh day. (Whenever a description is given, that is.) Never is the first day (Sunday) mentioned in this regard.
o God is very specific on things - He leaves little to be open to interpretation. Examples would include the exact measurements He gave Noah for the building of the ark (Gen 6:15), the Ark of the Covenant and the earthly sanctuary (Exodus 25:10 thru 36:21), precisely what to do with the lambwhen Passover was established (Exodus 12:8), etc. Do you think the wall of Jericho would have toppled if the children of Israel would have marched around it only 6 times, or did it take the full 7 before the blessing was received? Did a certain someone have to wash in the Jordan river once, or twice, or the full 7 times before his blessing of healing come? God is concerned with details; He’s a God of precision; and He says what He means. He said “the” seventh day. I think He does care what day we observe.




Argument #4:
”The apostles broke bread on the first day of the week”.

Acts 20:7 "And upon the first day of the week (yup, that's Sunday), when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight."
o The disciples broke bread every day (see Acts 2:46) - that is not a reason for observing a different day of worship anyway and only shows lack of Biblical scholarship of someone using this argument. Furthermore, the term "breaking bread" here does not mean communion; otherwise the disciples were taking communion every single day. Does Acts 20:7 say that breaking bread constitutes a change to God’s day of rest? Nope.
o Something that most miss is that if you read the story further you'll find that Paul starts out on Sunday morning for his trip; he travels about 30 km and then buys a boat ticket! Now, if Sunday had been any kind of holy day then Paul would not have been traveling nor purchasing anything on that day.

(end part 1)

[PaleHorse]

Argument #5:

Many cite the following Colossians 2:14-16:
Col 2:14-16 "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; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath days:"
o This verse is referring to the Mosaic Law (some say Sinaic Law or Levitical Law, some say ceremonial law) and this is evident by the inclusion of the "new moon" phrase as well as reference to the meat and drink offerings that would take place (compare to Leviticus 23:37). There are two sets of laws in play here, two types of sabbaths; one was described as being grievous to us (Col.2:14-16), and the 10 Commandments which were not grievous to us (1 John 5:3). How can the same law be grievous and not grievous at the same time? It cannot; clearly there are two sets of laws. Additionally, there isn't a single "ordinance" in the 10 Commandments. See definition of "ordinance" in any dictionary - it discusses festival regulations and the like.
I. DEUT. 31:26 Take this book of the law (Moses' Law), and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee

By comparison Moses' Law was written in a book on paper; God's Law was written with His finger on stone - don't let the symbology there escape you either. Also, the Commandments were put “inside” the ark (Exodus 40:20) not “in the side” (Deut 31:26) of it.
II. Hebrews 4:4 For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works. 5 And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest. 6 Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief: 7 Again, he limiteth (limited to) a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. 8 For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. 9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. 10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. 11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

(I’ll touch upon this verse again later in this essay for it is a biggie.)

III. Leviticus 23:37 These are the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD, a burnt offering, and a meat offering, a sacrifice, and drink offerings, every thing upon his day: 38 Beside(in addition to) the sabbaths of the LORD, and beside your gifts, and beside all your vows, and beside all your freewill offerings, which ye give unto the LORD.


Notice the verse in Leviticus 23:37; the word “beside” means in addition to, these feasts were the sabbaths that were in addition to the weekly seventh-day Sabbath. It is these sabbaths, not the weekly seventh-day Sabbath, that Col 2:14 is talking about – this is verified when one looks at the descriptors of “meat” and “drink” which are in reference to the offerings that would take place under Mosaic Ceremonial Law. So, again we see that the seventh-day Sabbath was different than these ceremonial sabbaths and it was the ceremonial sabbaths that were done away with according to Col. 2-14.

Argument #6:
"Jesus is my rest."
o Jesus is not a "day" nor is He ever symbolically/metaphorically linked to being a “day” in the Bible; He's linked to being "the vine", "the lamb", "the door", "the rock" and many other things but never, not once, a "day". We must stick to the Bible and the Bible only.
o To "rest in Jesus" actually has three meanings; 1) to rest on the Sabbath day (Heb 4:4&9) or 2) to be one of the righteous dead (1 Thess. 4:14) for you are literally resting in Jesus' love and protection. Matthew 11:28 - Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Jesus can absolutely give us 3) spiritual rest, but we cannot "cease from all work" seven days a week. To do so is not holy, it's lazy.

Argument #7:
"Unlike the other 9 commandments, Christ doesn’t repeat the Sabbath commandment in the New Testament. As such, we don’t have to observe it.”

o Do people who say this also look at Hebrews 4:1-11? (*see verse below in Argument #11 or click here for an in-depth study (http://www.christianforums.com/t1968191-in-depth-heb-4-study.html).) The Sabbath commandment is most certainly repeated in the NT both in word as well as example.

o According to the following verse I’d say that Christ had every intention that His Sabbath would still be observed after His death:

Matthew 24:20 - But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:

The context of this verse is that Christ was warning the disciples about the destruction of Jerusalem, which occurred in 70 AD at the hands of the Roman army. Christ prophesied that this event would happen and it did (Christ is never wrong). Why would Christ be concerned that people observe the Sabbath day at a time that would have been about 40 years after His death if His death was supposed to abolish it? Simple, He wouldn’t be concerned if that were the case – but since the Sabbath, like all His Commandments last forever, He was very concerned and told them to pray concerning it.

o Also, the Holy Spirit expressly calls it the “Sabbath day” in Acts 13:14. Aren’t the words of the Holy Spirit good enough since the Holy Spirit is the one who now convicts us of our sin?

o Mary, Christ’s mother, observed the Sabbath “according to the commandment” after Christ’s death. (See Luke 23:56) And I don't think anyone would argue that Mary was most certainly Christian.

o In the great Christian council, A.D. 49, in the presence of the apostles and thousands of disciples, James calls it the "sabbath day." (Acts 15:21) Notice, that in all these verses, and many more, Sabbath isn’t referred to as “a” Sabbath, but instead “the” Sabbath day. There is only one weekly Sabbath day and that falls from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday.

Argument #8:
"The Holy Spirit descended on the people on the day of Pentecost; and that was a Sunday, so we observe Sunday as Sabbath."
o The Holy Spirit descended on people at other times in the Bible yet that has never constituted a change to God's Sabbath; why would it this time? The Bible never mentions a change to God’s holy day at all in connection with Pentecost. This argument is totally inconsistent with scripture and is the result of improper exegesis, hermeneutics, and apologetics. There is no place in the Bible that says "when Pentecost comes the Sabbath day will be changed to that day" nor is it even inferred.

Argument #9:
"Sunday is the Lord's Day - I observe the Lord's Day."
o "The Lord's Day" is only found in one place in the Bible, Revelation 1:10 - I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,
John was the writer of the book of Revelation, that's why he is known as "John the Revelator". John was a Jew. As such, he knew and followed the seventh-day Sabbath. So, for him to use the phrase "The Lord's Day" would mean, if anything regarding a day of the week, Saturday (from Friday sundown to Saturday sundown to be exact)!
o Also, I recommend reading all of Revelation 1; not one time does it say what day the "Lord's Day" is. To assume it was a Sunday is wild speculation at best; sorry but there isn't any other way to say it. The truth is the "Lord's Day" or "Day of the Lord" has always referred to the day that Christ returns - His second advent. Any lexicon, unbiased concordance, Biblical scholar, or theologian will tell you that.

Argument #10:
"We observe Sunday in honor of the Resurrection."
o I am in no way belittling Christ resurrecting from death, but where is the scriptural authority to change God's holy day in honor of the resurrection? There isn't any scriptural authority for the change.
o How did Jesus tell us to honor His resurrection? With baptism! (Romans 6:4 and Colossians 2:12) So why disregard Christ's instructions or add to them? We have no authority to do such. Jesus' words are the truth - and we all know what happens when you add or take away from the truth (Revelation 22:19).
o Also, Christ specifically told us to take communion in remembrance of Him. (Luke 22:19) He never once said "change My Father's holy day".
o If Sunday observance is to commemorate Christ's resurrection then what is Easter for again? Which is it; Sunday observance or Easter that commemorates Christ’s resurrection? We cannot just make it up as we go along folks; the Bible is our guide.
o I challenge any good Christian to find scripture that says the redemption of our sin is in the resurrection. The Bible always refers to redemption being by, in, or through the BLOOD of Christ. (1 John 1:7 is one of my favorite verses). I will never overlook the importance of Christ rising from the dead, for that shows us that through Christ we will be resurrected as well, but let us be careful that we never overlook the fact that He died for us on a Friday, for that is the reason we even have a chance of salvation.


(end Part 2)

[PaleHorse]

Argument #11:
"Hebrews 4:1-9 says that we should rest as He (Christ) is now, that He died for our sins and that Sabbath is basically suspended until we are on the new earth.“

But they don’t look at the entire statement being made. Let’s look at Hebrews 4:1-11 (if you want to see my in-depth study on Heb 4 click here (http://www.christianforums.com/t1968191-in-depth-heb-4-study.html)):

If I may point out, in particular, Heb 4 verse 9 and cite from some other Bible versions:

WYC Therefore the sabbath is left to the people of God.
BBE So that there is still a Sabbath-keeping for the people of God.
ASVThere remaineth therefore a sabbath rest for the people of God.
DBY There remains then a sabbatism to the people of God.
ESV So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God,
NJBThere must still be, therefore, a seventh-day rest reserved for God's people,
NRSSo then, a sabbath rest still remains for the people of God;
NIRV So there is still a Sabbath rest for God's people.
NIVUK There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God;
NIV There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God;
HCSB A Sabbath rest remains, therefore, for God's people.
NET Consequently a Sabbath rest remains for the people of God.
MRD Therefore it is established, that the people of God are to have a sabbath.GRT Hebrews 4:9 ara apoleipetai sabbatismos tô laô tou theou

apoleipetai means literally 'left behind' and sabbatismos in Greek literature always, 100% of the time, refers to seventh day sabbath-keeping; but let’s verify that using our lexicons to be sure:

BDAG #6544 σαββατισμός
• σαββατισμός, οῦ, ὁ (σαββατίζω; Plut., Mor. 166a cj.; Just., D. 23, 3) sabbath rest, sabbath observance fig. Hb 4:9(CBarrett, CHDodd Festschr. ’56, 371f [eschat.]). —S. on κατάπαυσις HWeiss, CBQ 58, ’96, 674-89. M-M. TW.

Louw-Nida #6544 σαββατισμός
• σαββατισμός, οῦ, ὁ (σαββατίζω; Plut., Mor. 166a cj.; Just., D. 23, 3) sabbath rest, sabbath observance fig. Hb 4:9(CBarrett, CHDodd Festschr. ’56, 371f [eschat.]). —S. on κατάπαυσις HWeiss, CBQ 58, ’96, 674-89. M-M. TW.

Liddell-Scott #36978 Σαββατισμός, σαββατισμός Σαββα±τισμός, ὁ,
a keeping of days of rest, N.T.

Thayer’s Lexicon #4520
1) a keeping [continuing/enduring] Sabbath

A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament; Arndt and Gingrich
sabbatismoV, pronounced sabbatismos, form: noun
1) Sabbath rest, Sabbath observance

Strong’s Lexicon #4520 σαββατισμός
1) a keeping [continuing] sabbath
*2) the blessed rest from toils and troubles looked for in the age to come by the true worshippers of God and true Christians

*Quick note about the Strong’s Lexicon:
A lexicon’s purpose it is to give the reader the plain meaning of words so that the reader can interpret passages for himself. It is outside of the scope of any proper lexicon to try and give the reader its own interpretation of any given word. As such, I find it improper for the Strong’s Lexicon, in light of all the other respected lexicon’s definitions of sabbatismos, to try and give a second definition that is actually an interpretation rather than a definition. Logic dictates that since sabbatismos is only used once in the entire Bible there should only be one definition.

As stated above, the Bible only has one instance of the word sabbatismos, what this further means is that, unlike most other words in the scriptures, one cannot do a verse-to-verse comparison in order to arrive at its definition. One MUST, in this particular situation, look to other Greek documents that use this word. This is the only way to get an accurate definition. Strangely, sabbatismos is only found in the following ancient Greek texts, most of which are penned by pagan authors:

Plutarch, “De Superstitions 3 (Moralia 1660)
Justin Martyr,”Dialogue With Trypho” 23,3
Epiphanius, “Adversus Haereses” 30,2,2
“Apostolic Constitutions” 2,36
Martyrdom of Peter and PaulSabbatismos means “seventh-day Sabbath keeping”. The verb form of the word is sabbatizw sabbatizo, which means “to keep the Sabbath” (Arndt and Gingrich, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament). The Greek English Lexicon of the Septuagint defines sabbatizw sabbatizo as “to keep sabbath, to rest” (Lust, Eynikel, Hauspie).

GRT Hebrews 4:9 ara apoleipetai sabbatismos tô laô tou theou


Apoleipetai means literally 'left behind' and sabbatismos in Greek literature is always, 100% of the time, referring to “seventh day sabbath-keeping”. This further undermines the argument that the Commandments were done away with at the cross but that 9 of the 10 were reinstated. This argument holds no argument when the rules of hermeneutics are applied.

Scripture points out that God established the Sabbath at creation, Jesus observed it the disciples observed it, all the prophets kept it, and according to Isa 66:22-23 we will be observing it in the new earth! Now, logic dictates that we should be observing it now. Let's see those verses in Isaiah:
Isa. 66:22-23 - 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.
Verse 11 talks about "laboring into that rest". Any Sabbatarian will tell you this is referring to preparation day (Mark 15:42, Luke 23:54, Matthew 27:62), the day before Sabbath in which all remaining work needs to be finished so that Sabbath can be focused upon Christ.


Argument #12:
"The Sabbath day has been lost to history due to calendar changes.”

This is incorrect and two small observations show this to be in error.

o First, such an argument makes the gross assumption that at some point in time every Jewish person in the world (all of which keep the seventh-day Sabbath) magically forgot what day Sabbath is on. This assumption flies in the face of common reason. And, just to play devil’s advocate, if this did in fact happen (world-wide Sabbath amnesia) the Jews would still have their documentation to remind them. The Jews have always been meticulous in their record-keeping and thus would have plenty of written information at hand that would set them back on the correct day of the Sabbath.

o Usually a second argument is that of the calendar changes from the Julian (which was in use at the time of Christ) to the Gregorian calendar that we use today some days were lost. But what they fail to realize is that if the calendar changes altered which day the seventh-day is from the time of Christ, then that change would also affect the first-day of the week as well, which would mean that those that observe Sunday due to Pentecost or the resurrection of Christ are also observing an incorrect day. The calendar changes did not affect the weekly cycle at all.

For those wanting more information of the Sabbath this is probably the best website I have found. Please click here (http://www.sabbathtruth.com/).


(end Part 3)

Quick Note:


The above essay was based strictly on the arguments I have personally been party too. It is not meant to be exhaustive in nature. If any other SDAs know of any other arguments that they have heard I encourage them to post them in this thread.

[PaleHorse]

Below is an in-depth study of Hebrews 4:1-11 that I’ve personally put together. I wanted to post this study, for the message that Paul was telling the Jewish converts in this epistle is very important to all Christians today. Also, I will cite that these verses (specifically verse 9) are proof positive evidence that seventh-day Sabbath keeping is still for us, as Christians, today.


What is plainly stated in these verses undermines every single argument used to say that the seventh-day Sabbath was abolished, or that it was changed to the first day of the week, or that Christ is now our Sabbath, etc. The reason why those arguments are undermined, as I will show in the below study, is because despite all the possible symbolic/spiritual connections made through various interpretations of other scriptures, Hebrews 4 is a clear statement of fact that the seventh-day Sabbath, along with our rest in Christ, is to be observed by all Christians.


I realize this is a bold statement I am making; as such I’d better have some bold evidence, right? I ask the reader to carefully read this study as glossing over any part of it could give an incomplete picture of this Biblical truth. I’ll apologize in advance if I repeat myself during the course of this study. It is not my intent to be repetitive but sometimes it is necessary for the sake of completeness.


Let’s start off with the verses in question and then take it from there:

Hebrews 4:1-11: (KJV)
1 Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.
2 For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.
3 For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.
4 For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works.
5 And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest.
6 Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief:
7 Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
8 For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day.
9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.
10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.
11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.



Hermeneutics

I’m sure many of you are familiar with hermeneutics. Basically, they are a set of rules that, when followed closely, constitute a very good, common sense approach to scriptural study. If you are unfamiliar with these rules please click (http://www.christianforums.com/t1959458-rules-of-hermeneutics.html) here (http://www.christianforums.com/t1959458-rules-of-hermeneutics.html) for the list. During the course of this study I will be referring to these rules by number to show which rules are particularly on point for each section.

Note: When I cite particular rules I do so for the sake of emphasis only, not for the negating of any of the other rules, for all rules apply at all times.



Contrary to what many might believe, I do recognize that we have a “rest” in Christ and not just the “rest” of the Sabbath day. But here's the point, after a close examination of all the verses you'll see that Paul did something very clever when talking to the Jews here in Hebrews, he weaves together three themes of “rest”: 1) the rest promised to Israel from enemies, 2) the weekly Sabbath, and 3) the spiritual rest through Christ. One of these kinds of “rest” does not preempt or nullify any of the others as we will see in this study.



Overview for the study:

The book of Hebrews uses creative comparisons to emphasize to its Jewish audience that the weekly Sabbath is a reminder of something more than just that God was the Israelites’ Creator and the One who had delivered them from slavery in Egypt. (Exodus 20:8-11 and Deuteronomy5:12-15)


The faithfulness of Moses and Christ are spoken of in Hebrews 3:1-6. Beginning in Hebrews 3:7, we find that Psalm 95:1-11 is being quoted to document the failure of the first generation of Israel as a lesson to God's people today. Unbelief was the main cause of their failure to enter the rest promised to them (Hebrews 3:19).

Hebrews 4 begins with an admonition to faith and obedience as a prerequisite for receiving the rest that is still available to God’s people. No one has yet entered that rest, not because God hadn’t readied it; in fact, it was finished from the foundation of the world (Hebrews 4:3). That God rested on the seventh day from all His works indicates as much (verse 4). David (in Psalm 95) spoke of a promise of rest long after Joshua led the second generation of Israel to rest in the Promised Land. This demonstrates that the rest fulfilled at the time of Joshua was only a type of a greater rest to come (Hebrews 4:6-8). The antitype to this is the rest we experience in Christ.



(end Part 1)

[PaleHorse]

Word Etymology and Meanings

Studying etymology and definitions of words is important in order to fulfill rule #13 in our list of hermeneutics. In Hebrews 4:9 we come to a controversial statement: “there remains therefore a rest for the people of God” (KJV). The Greek word translated “rest” in every other verse throughout Hebrews 3 and 4 is katapausis. The word for “rest” in Hebrews 4:9 is sabbatismos, not the same word and Paul had a very good reason to use it! This is the only New Testament occurrence of sabbatismos, and its meaning is fundamental to understanding this pivotal verse, which is the conclusion of everything previously said about “rest” beginning in Hebrews 3:7 indicated by the word “therefore” in verse 9 (KJV). Here is how the verse reads in the original Greek:

GRT Hebrews 4:9 ara apoleipetai sabbatismos tô laô tou theou

apoleipetai means literally 'left behind' and sabbatismos in Greek literature always, 100% of the time, refers to seventh day sabbath-keeping; but let’s verify that using our lexicons to be sure:

BDAG #6544 σαββατισμός
• σαββατισμός, οῦ, ὁ (σαββατίζω; Plut., Mor. 166a cj.; Just., D. 23, 3) sabbath rest, sabbath observance fig. Hb 4:9(CBarrett, CHDodd Festschr. ’56, 371f [eschat.]). —S. on κατάπαυσις HWeiss, CBQ 58, ’96, 674-89. M-M. TW.

Louw-Nida #6544 σαββατισμός
• σαββατισμός, οῦ, ὁ (σαββατίζω; Plut., Mor. 166a cj.; Just., D. 23, 3) sabbath rest, sabbath observance fig. Hb 4:9(CBarrett, CHDodd Festschr. ’56, 371f [eschat.]). —S. on κατάπαυσις HWeiss, CBQ 58, ’96, 674-89. M-M. TW.

Liddell-Scott #36978 Σαββατισμός, σαββατισμός Σαββα±τισμός, ὁ,
a keeping of days of rest, N.T.

Thayer’s Lexicon #4520
1) a keeping [continuing] Sabbath

A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament; Arndt and Gingrich
sabbatismoV, pronounced sabbatismos, form: noun
1) Sabbath rest, Sabbath observance

Strong’s Lexicon #4520 σαββατισμός
1) a keeping [continuing] sabbath
*2) the blessed rest from toils and troubles looked for in the age to come by the true worshippers of God and true Christians

*Quick note about the Strong’s Lexicon:
A lexicon’s purpose it is to give the reader the plain meaning of words so that the reader can interpret passages for himself. It is outside of the scope of any proper lexicon to try and give the reader its own interpretation of any given word. As such, I find it improper for the Strong’s Lexicon, in light of all the other respected lexicon’s definitions of sabbatismos, to try and give a second definition that is actually an interpretation rather than a definition. Logic dictates that since sabbatismos is only used once in the entire Bible there should only be one definition.

As stated above, the Bible only has one instance of the word sabbatismos, what this further means is that, unlike most other words in the scriptures, one cannot do a verse-to-verse comparison in order to arrive at its definition. One MUST, in this particular situation, look to other Greek documents that use this word. This is the only way to get an accurate definition. Strangely, sabbatismos is only found in the following ancient Greek texts, most of which are penned by pagan authors:


Plutarch, “De Superstitions 3 (Moralia 1660)
Justin Martyr,”Dialogue With Trypho” 23,3
Epiphanius, “Adversus Haereses” 30,2,2
“Apostolic Constitutions” 2,36
Martyrdom of Peter and Paul


Sabbatismos means “seventh-day Sabbath keeping”. The verb form of the word is sabbatizw sabbatizo, which means “to keep the Sabbath” (Arndt and Gingrich, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament). The Greek English Lexicon of the Septuagint defines sabbatizw sabbatizo as “to keep sabbath, to rest” (Lust, Eynikel, Hauspie). With this understanding, let’s take a look at some other translations to ensure we are not alone in this conclusion:






WYC Therefore the sabbath is left to the people of God.
BBE So that there is still a Sabbath-keeping for the people of God.
ASV There remaineth therefore a sabbath rest for the people of God.
DBY There remains then a sabbatism to the people of God.
ESV So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God,
NJB There must still be, therefore, a seventh-day rest reserved for God's people,
NRS So then, a sabbath rest still remains for the people of God;
NIRV So there is still a Sabbath rest for God's people.
NIVUK There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God;
NIV There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God;
HCSB A Sabbath rest remains, therefore, for God's people.
NET Consequently a Sabbath rest remains for the people of God.
MRD Therefore it is established, that the people of God are to have a sabbath.

(WYC = Wycliffe New Testament, BBE = Bible in Basic English, ASV = American Standard Version, DBY = Darby Bible, ESV = English Standard Version, NJB = New Jerusalem Bible, NRS = New Revised Standard Version, NIRV = New International Reader’s Version, NIVUK = New International Version UK, NIV = New International Version, HCSB = Holman Christian Standard Bible)


What The Anchor Bible Dictionary states about the meaning of sabbatismos:
“The words ‘Sabbath rest” translate the [Greek] noun ‘sabbatismos,’ a unique word in the New Testament. This term appears also in Plutarch…for Sabbath observance, and in four post-canonical Christian writings which are not dependent on Hebrews 4:9, for seventh day ‘Sabbath celebration’.”

So, based upon what we find in the various lexicons/dictionaries we can accurately state that Hebrews 4:9 literally says that “a seventh-day sabbath keeping has been left behind for the people of God”.


(end Part 2)

[PaleHorse]

Scriptural Breakdown:
Now that we’ve established the meaning of the word Paul used in Heb 4:9, let us consider the body of the verses and, applying the rules of hermeneutics, see if this holds true.

Hebrews 4:1-11:
1 Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.
2 For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.
3 For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.
4 For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works.
(We find a specific "day" being talked about. "Of the seventh day" sets the topic of the discussion. The seventh-day, as described in Gen 2:3, is clearly being addressed here for it uses the same amplifying description of God resting from all His works of creation.)
5 And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest.
6 Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief:
7 Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
(Notice it says "he limiteth a certain day". Now, since Christ is not equated to being a "day", nor is any other thing equated to being a "day" then that means we must take "day" as a literal. As such, one specific “day” is being discussed. The term "To day" comes from the Greek semeron which means "this very day". Now, to say it means anything else breaks the rules of hermeneutics. So, we cannot read into it unless we have certain/solid scripture that will interpret what it means, which there is none. So, the best we can say about "to day" is that Paul is simply saying "this very day, if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts". **We will compare this verse to its sister verse in Psalms (for David wrote that book) below so that readers can be sure of what it means based upon its origins in the OT.)
8 For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day.
(Aside from the small error in punctuation, the period should be a question mark, this verse reads very clearly. To say it’s not a question breaks up the sentence dramatically! You would have to remove "if" & "then would he not" at a minimum. Remember, we can't pick and choose the words we want; the best we can do is point out specifics in the verse. So, the verse says clearly that Christ would have told us if another day was to be recognized or if the Sabbath/rest from the commandments was done away with. But Christ didn't ever do this. Christ never said the Sabbath was done away with. If the Sabbath were done away with then this statement in verse 8 would not have been made at all. The statement Christ makes in Matthew 24:20 would also have to be done away with if Christ abolished the Sabbath day.)
9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.
(The word here “remaineth” means to continue unchanged according to Webster’s dictionary. Now, according to all the rules (#1, #2, #8, #12 & #13 specifically) then that means verse 9 can ONLY be talking about the seventh-day Sabbath remaining for the people of God. To add any other meaning violates rules #1, #2, #3, #4, #8, #9, & #13 and leads the reader into severe eisegesis, i.e. reading into God's word what you have already decided to believe.)
10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.
(This verse affirms, we must all labor to enter into spiritual rest and continue to keep the weekly Sabbath because of what it portrays in God’s great master plan. We know this due to the reference given in “as God did from his”.)
11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.
(This is what preparation day is for, to get all of ones secular work done so that the Sabbath can be devoted to God and doing good; all Sabbatarians understand this and Exodus 16, Mark 15:42, Luke 23:54, & John 19:31 show this example in action. We literally labor into that rest. So, in light of the supporting verses this conclusion follows the rules very nicely - especially that of context, #4. Also very important to note is if this verse were talking about the rest in heaven, wouldn’t it then essentially be saying that we have to work our way to heaven? Surely this is not the case.)

(end Part 3)

[PaleHorse]

Symbolic Meanings and Interpretation

Christ is not equated (either literally, metaphorically, or symbolically) to being a “day”. But since Heb 4 specifically talks about an exact and certain day (verses 4 & 9) then we must not leave it out nor can we assume it is talking about Christ's spiritual rest unless we have scripture that makes that connection. For instance, we know that Christ is equated as being the door, the lamb, the vine, etc. How do we know this? For the Bible tells us directly:

John 10:7 - Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.
John 1:29 - The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

John 15:5 - I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.



Since the Bible makes the connection for us that Christ is equated to being these things, along with many others, we can then go and search the scriptures for instances of these terms and then see if there is some special, deeper meaning to those verses. In order for someone to say that the days mentioned in Heb 4:1-11 refer to Christ as our Sabbath, then it is incumbent upon them to show the scripture where Christ is equated to being a “day”. Since no such verse exists then the assumption that Jesus is our Sabbath simply cannot be made based on the scriptures.



**Compare Hebrews 4:7 to it’s sister verse Psalms 95:1-11 (this is the "saying in David" Heb 4:7 was referring to - for Psalms was written by David) and you’ll see this is what Paul was referring to – and it wasn’t that “to day” now takes the place of the Sabbath as has been argued to me many times before:
Psalms 95:1-11 - 1 O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. 2 Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. 3 For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods. 4 In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also. 5 The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land. 6 O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker. 7 For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice, 8 Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness: 9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work. 10 Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways: 11 Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest.

The Anchor Bible Dictionary continues with an explanation of the context of Hebrews 4:3-11 and you’ll see that they have reached many of the same conclusions I have:
“The author of Hebrews affirms in Hebrews 4:3-11 through the joining of quotations from Genesis 2:2 and Psalm 95:7 that the promised ‘Sabbath rest’ still anticipates a complete realization ‘for the people of God’ in the … endtime which had been inaugurated with the appearance of Jesus [Hebrews 1:1-3]… The experience of ‘Sabbath rest’ points to a present ‘rest’ (katapausis) reality in which those ‘who have believed are entering’ (4:3) and it points to a future ‘rest’ reality (4:11). Physical Sabbath-keeping on the part of the New Covenant believer as affirmed by ‘Sabbath rest’ epitomizes cessation from ‘works’ (4:10) in commemoration of God’s rest at creation (4:4 = Genesis 2:2) and manifests faith in the salvation provided by Christ.

Hebrews 4:3-11 affirms that physical ‘Sabbath rest’ (sabbatismos) is the weekly outward manifestation of the inner experience of spiritual rest (katapausis) in which the final…rest is…experienced already ‘today’ (4:7). Thus ‘Sabbath rest’ combines in itself creation-commemoration, salvation-experience, and eschaton [end-time]-anticipation as the community of faith moves forward toward the final consummation of total restoration and rest.”

A Word about our Rest in Christ

As I stated earlier in this study, I most certainly believe that we do have a spiritual rest in Christ – I do not doubt that at all. The main point of this study is to reveal to the reader that there is also a physical rest that we are to observe and that our rest in Christ is not the same as the seventh-day Sabbath rest. One of the main texts that describes the “rest” that Christ gives us is found in Matthew 11:28-30:

Matthew 11:28-30 - Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. " 30"For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

The word Christ used in verse 28 is anapauo, which means (Strong’s #373)

1) to cause or permit one to cease from any movement or labour in order to recover and collect his strength

2) to give rest, refresh, to give one's self rest, take rest

3) to keep quiet, of calm and patient expectation



Christ did not use the word sabbaton nor sabbatismos, for He wasn’t talking of the Sabbath at all. If Christ had meant that He was to become the new Sabbath He would have used one of those words else He would have confused everyone, including His disciples. The clear fact of the matter is Christ was telling them exactly what He said, that He would give them spiritual rest from sin. There is nothing in His statement, or those that follow, that indicate He was talking about Sabbath at all. As such, those that say “Christ is my Sabbath” really haven’t studied the texts; I’m sorry to say it that way but it is the only honest observation that can be made. In fact, I have looked at most of the available Bible translations and here is what I found:

The WEB, RKJNT, ASV, BBE, BWE, DBY, KJV, WBS, WEY, YLT, LITV, NIV, NAS, AMP, CEV, ESV, MSG, NLT, NLV, ISV, K21, NAB, RSV, NRS, ALT, GMT, CSB, and the NCV (28 in all) all render anapauo as “rest”; only the Douay-Rheims Bible (RHE) renders it differently as “refresh”. Notice that not a single Bible version makes the claim, even the expanded Bible versions, that Christ meant the Sabbath in this verse.



Wesley’s commentary on verse 28 reads as follows and I concur with his statement here:

“Come to me - Here he shows to whom he is pleased to reveal these things to the weary and heavy laden; ye that labour - After rest in God: and are heavy laden - With the guilt and power of sin: and I will give you rest - I alone (for none else can) will freely give you (what ye cannot purchase) rest from the guilt of sin by justification, and from the power of sin by sanctification.”

Wesley’s conclusion is right on target. Notice that he does not even hint that the “rest” equates to the Sabbath in this verse.

You see, the reasoning used for the "Jesus is my Sabbath" belief is actually based on a play on words; since Sabbath is called a "rest" in the scriptures and then Christ states "He will give us rest" then that must mean Christ IS our Sabbath! Now wait, does this actually make logical sense? Does Jesus say that "He is our rest" or does He say "He will give us rest"? Clearly Christ said He will give us this rest, not that He is that rest. In studying this verse we also need to look at the verb being used "will give". "Will give" denotes a future action not a present one. Could it be that Christ was actually talking about His second advent? For that is when He comes with His rewards (Revelation 22:12).

We should all be careful to ensure we know what the Bible says on various topics before we build a doctrine of it.


Conclusion:

The book of Hebrews is addressed to converted Jews to explain the transition from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant for there was much confusion as we would expect. The Sabbath and circumcision have long been considered two of the cardinal tenets of Judaism, identifying the Jews as “the people of god.” However, by the time of Christ, the meaning of the Sabbath had become buried under a mountain of do’s and don’ts. The Sabbath had become a heavy burden as Sabbath-keeping degenerated into the bondage of legalism, perpetuated by the narrow-minded scribes and Pharisees. Jesus Christ condemned these human traditions and set the example of how to keep the Sabbath as God’s gift to mankind (Mark 2:27,28). What could be more appropriate to the book of Hebrews than the elevation of the Sabbath to its full meaning and intent in the plan of God?

So the Sabbath retains its Old Covenant meanings that identify God’s specially sanctified people (“the people of God”) and pointing them back to God as Creator. Added to that is the New Covenant meaning of entering into another rest through Christ, the anti-type that fulfilled the type of the rest given to Israel during Joshua’s time (Hebrews 4:8). This spiritual rest begins now in this life and reaches its consummation in the resurrection to eternal life at the return of Christ (Revelation 20:6). His return also signals the beginning of the millennial rest prophesied in the Old Testament.


I think this study makes it plain enough that the Sabbath Commandment is still alive and in great need of remembering, just as the commandment itself states.

Exodus 20:4 - Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 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, not 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.

Side Note:
As I learned during the course of a debate on this very topic, Dr. Samuele Bacchiocchi wrote a book entitled “The Sabbath Under Crossfire” that comes to the same conclusions about Heb. 4:9 as I have in this study. Now, I haven’t read his book yet but I most certainly plan to since I greatly respect Dr. Bacchiocchi’s work; and once I do I am certain that I will be able to add dozens of new insights to this study that I haven’t even considered yet.

[PaleHorse]

Side Note:
As I learned during the course of a debate on this very topic, Dr. Samuele Bacchiocchi wrote a book entitled “The Sabbath Under Crossfire” that comes to the same conclusions about Heb. 4:9 as I have in this study. Now, I haven’t read his book yet but I most certainly plan to since I greatly respect Dr. Bacchiocchi’s work; and once I do I am certain that I will be able to add dozens of new insights to this study that I haven’t even considered yet.

[reddogs]

Here are links to other studies that Palehorse did, so new members can find them easily...

Our view of the State of the Dead (part 1 of 5) (http://christianforums.com/t1959557-our-view-of-the-state-of-the-dead-part-1-of-5.html)
PaleHorse

Is "for ever" ceaseless? (Part 1) (http://christianforums.com/t1959371-is-for-ever-ceaseless-part-1.html)
PaleHorse

Left Behind series (http://christianforums.com/t2212510-left-behind-series.html)
PaleHorse

The Daniel 9 prophecy (no 7-year tribulation) (http://christianforums.com/t2212493-the-daniel-9-prophecy-no-7-year-tribulation.html)
PaleHorse


Who is the King of the North? (http://christianforums.com/t2344416-who-is-the-king-of-the-north.html)
PaleHorse


Why the Protestant Reformation failed (http://christianforums.com/t2344408-why-the-protestant-reformation-failed.html)
PaleHorse


Seal of God Challenge (http://christianforums.com/t2022580-seal-of-god-challenge.html)
PaleHorse


Essay: Does "For Ever" mean forever? (http://christianforums.com/t2212539-essay-does-for-ever-mean-forever.html)
PaleHorse


Ceremonial Law vs. God's Law (http://christianforums.com/t1997152-ceremonial-law-vs-gods-law.html)
PaleHorse

An interesting list of basic beliefs (http://christianforums.com/t1960428-an-interesting-list-of-basic-beliefs.html)
PaleHorse