Sunday Is Not the Antitype of Sabbath
Can it be true that there will be a people who at the end will receive Christ who have kept the law? In Revelation 14:12 it reads, “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.”
Did God lower the standard for the salvation of man? Not really; God is never a respecter of persons. And also concerning the law—we do keep the law. We do not kill; we do not advocate for adultery; we do not love bearing false witness; we do Love God with all our hearts. No Christian can even worship an image. But the Sabbath law is the challenge, I have found. It’s the one that made me question my faith before I made my true stand. Kindly help me if iIhave made a wrong decision.
True, our base is Christ. Is keeping the law against the will of Christ? And my concern is this: is the law only about the Sabbath?
I do fully believe that the law does not save us; it points to our sinful nature, so we look for the Redeemer to save us from our sins. That is Christ. If there is no law, then we cannot see the burden and the benefit of the atoning sacrifice of Christ. And if I may ask, was the type of the Sabbath fulfilled by the antitype of Sunday?
—VIA EMAIL
RESPONSE: The law is not our source of moral authority. God Himself is that authority. Romans 5:12–14 tells us that the law was not in existence from Adam until Moses, yet even so all died because of sin. It was not the law that condemned them; it was God’s personal declaration.
The Law was given to Israel 430 after Moses and lasted until the Seed came (Galatians 3:17–21). Jesus, as He Himself said, fulfilled the law; now we are no longer under the law but under a NEW law—the Law of Christ. (Galatians explains this and so does 1 Cor. 9). Hebrews 7:11, 12 explain that the law was built on the foundation of the levitical priesthood. Jesus is a Priest of a different order; He is in the order of Melchizedek. Verse 12 states that when there is a change of then priesthood there is of necessity a change of the law.
Galatians is very clear that, if we are in Christ, we fall from grace if we go back to keeping the law. The moral requirements of the law flow from God Himself, not from the law. In the new covenant, when we trust Jesus, we are ushered into the New Covenant and indwelled by the Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:13,14). He gives us literal spiritual life when we trust Him.
We no longer look to the law for instructions; we have the Law’s Author and Fulfillment literally living in us. He holds us to a much higher standard than did the law, and He teaches us to submit to and apply the Word of God—including all the commands for believers in the New Testament—to our lives. He also teaches us to apply His eternal principles in the Old Testament to our lives.
We are not under the law; we are IN CHRIST. Furthermore, the Sabbath, along with all the sabbaths, were shadows that pointed to the reality of Jesus (see Col 2:16, 17 and Hebrews 10:1). We disregard our Lord Jesus and His finished work when we look backwards and cling to the shadows instead of embracing Jesus alone.
And no: the “type” of Sabbath was fulfilled by the person of Jesus, not of Sunday. Paul says in Colossians 2:16-17 that the reality of the shadow is Christ. It is not Sunday.
Please read the whole book of Galatians every day for a month and ask the Lord to teach you what He wants you to understand.
This article may be helpful in understanding Revelation 14:12:
Resurrection Day Work Bee
I just read aloud your editor’s note (April 5, 2024, Proclamation!) “They are not changing”; I am near tears.
I’ve emailed before, and you are so kind to respond. My husband and I strove with his parents for years, but other family are still trapped and very active in Adventist evangelism.
This year the family enjoyed camping together and playing volleyball after sundown on Saturday. But what was on the schedule for Easter Sunday? “Clean up day” !!!
We were shocked, grieved, and dumbfounded that once again the Resurrection was not mentioned in the communications. The days leading up to Easter were used for Adventist nature activities (all good—but the timing!), and then that the dastardly Sunday was cast as a work day instead of a glorious celebration!
Did they ever see an empty tomb? How can the Resurrection be so far out of their minds? I’m sure Adventists think we desecrate the Sabbath, but their removal of Easter Sunday is no less incomprehensible.
Just thought I’d share. We love our family, yet the “wall “is still there.
Blessings on the work you do!
—VIA EMAIL
Response: Thank you for writing—and I am so sorry about the grief and overt ignoring of the significance of the Resurrection that you encountered with your in-laws. I understand your reaction of shock, grief, and dumbfounded-ness. Their reaction is typical. They do not love the cross of Christ, and they have no understanding of the significance of the resurrection and the new life of the new birth connected to it. In fact, they do deliberately use Sunday for work bees and hard-labor projects.
Their ignoring of Sunday is ingrained in their lifestyle; they actually have a deep visceral reaction to the day and resent any hint of anything important being attached to it.
I am so sorry. And thank you for sharing.
Blood On EGW’s Hands
I write from Albany, Western Australia. Our daughter Sharon Joy Beumer attended a Teen Camp at the Adventist camp ground Yarrahappini, New South Wales (NSW), Australia. The Investigative Judgment was explained. It involved confessing every sin. Sharon’s life was one step forward and two backwards. She had a lot to confess. At 12 years of age, she walked away from the Adventist church.
“This is just too hard,” Sharon said. Sharon died aged 31. Mrs. Ellen G. White killed my daughter. She has Sharon’s blood on her hands .
Many years ago at Taree Seventh-day Adventist Church, NSW, Australia, the Sabbath School lesson subject was the investigative judgment. A woman we knew was there. She was originally from Hawera, North Island, New Zealand, and she said with fear in her voice, “I hope I make it through the Investigative Judgment.”
The Investigative Judgment is a Satanic doctrine. It did not come down from Heaven; it came up from Hell. The ultimate destination of error is Hell. The Great Controversy is a Hellish document.There is not one Christian doctrine in the whole book.
—Response to An Open Appeal to Mark Finley, ProclamationMagazine.com
Response: I am so, so sorry. The investigative judgment kept me awake at night when I was a teenager. I understand your daughter’s despair so well. The Lord is just and good. You can trust Him with your daughter—but I agree about EGW. She was a false prophet, and she will have a just outcome. I pray for the Lord to comfort you in this grief that never fully resolves. There truly is not one Christian doctrine in The Great Controversy. †
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