It is important to understand that though the Ten Commandments generally reflect truths related to God’s eternal moral law, the command about the Sabbath is the obvious exception.  The Ten Commandments were particularly chosen by God as specimens of emphasis for Israel to teach them how He is to be feared and obeyed.  These Ten Commandments were given as a primer to everything else God would go on to command Israel (He commanded much to Israel after He had given them the Ten Commandments).  

God’s law given through Moses to Israel would obviously include principles of His eternal moral law which He requires all people at all times to live by.  You could go to any group of people at any time and they would obviously already have made good and bad decisions in relation to nine of the ten commandments.  However, they wouldn’t know what you were talking about in bringing up the Sabbath Day if they had never been exposed to the Bible before.  

We see by Ezekiel chapter 20:10-12 that Israel was given the Sabbath after they came out of Egypt.  They had not known it before.  When you read Exodus chapter 16 and see the confusion there about gathering manna on the Sabbath Day, it is obvious that Israel had just been introduced to the Sabbath.  God was patient with them because the Sabbath really was still new to them.  Later on in Numbers chapter 15 a man was found gathering sticks on the Sabbath Day.  God commanded Moses then that the man should be put to death.  

All of this proves that the commands in the Old Testament related to keeping the Sabbath Day were ceremonial.  They are thus proper to be categorized within the package of the ceremonial law that was specifically for Israelites under the Old Covenant (or, the Mosaic Covenant).  

In Acts chapter 15 Christ’s Apostles, through the obvious implications of what God had already done among them (regarding the conversion of Cornelius in Acts chapter 10 without him coming under Judaism), and through the prophecy of Scripture itself foretelling God accepting gentiles without conversion to Judaism, they decreed through the Holy Spirit that imposing the Jewish ceremonies upon gentiles was to cease.

It is no wonder that the biggest proponent of the concept that Christians ought to keep the Jewish Sabbath in modern times has been Ellen G. White.  White is regarded as a prophetic authority by the church which she was instrumental in founding (the 7th Day Adventist Church).  Though much more could be said about White and her errant teachings on many things, the fact that she was wrong on her key doctrine of alleging that Christians are to keep the Sabbath, and the fact that she also obviously violated the Bible’s verdicts by speaking as an alleged prophetess who took spiritual authority over men, are enough to prove that she was a heretical false prophetess.  This logically means that her writings and the church which she founded ought to be fled from.  

God’s true commandment-keeping people receive His verdicts and keep His instructions while marking and avoiding those who contradict these.  

Aaron’s email is: [email protected]

CLICK HERE TO GO TO OUR FRONT PAGE FOR ALL THE STUDIES

CLICK HERE TO GO TO OUR 3RD WORLD MISSION TO THE IMPOVERISHED