Tag: Sabbath years

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Does the Dispensational interpretation fit the time indications?

SUMMARY

In the following respects, the Dispensational interpretation deviates from the time indications in the prophecy:

WHICH DECREE?

DispensationalismIn Dispensationalism, the “decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem” (Dan 9:25), which began the 490 years, was Artaxerxes’ second decree in 445/4 BC.

That was a decree to “rebuild” Jerusalem but it was not a decree to “restore” Jerusalem. The word translated “restore” means to return ownership to the previous owner (e.g., 1 Kings 20:34). Artaxerxes’ second decree did not “restore” Jerusalem because Artaxerxes’ first decree in 458/7 already did that and because the second decree only dealt with the physical construction of the city walls.

King CyrusDispensationalism argues that Artaxerxes’ second decree was the first to authorize the rebuilding of Jerusalem. But that is not true. The previous decrees by Cyrus, Darius I, and Artaxerxes I, by allowing the Jews to return to Judea, to rebuild the temple, and to govern themselves, all implicitly authorized the rebuilding of the city.

PROPHETIC YEARS

According to Daniel 9:25, the Messiah will appear 7 + 62 weeks = 483 years after the decree. Adding 483 years to Artaxerxes’ second decree (445/4) brings us to about seven years AFTER Christ’s death. To solve this, Dispensationalism proposes that these are “prophetic years” consisting of 360 days each. This reduces the 483 by about 7 years.

However, the 490 years are an extension of God’s covenant with Israel (see Extend Covenant). Therefore, and since the covenant is based on Israel’s seven-year cycle, where every seventh year is a Sabbath, the “seventy weeks” are weeks of literal years.

TRIUMPHAL ENTRY

In Dispensationalism, the 483 years bring us to Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem; a few days before His crucifixion. However, the end of the 69th week, as described in verse 25, does NOT bring us to His death or to the END of His ministry. According to that verse, the Messiah will APPEAR and BEGIN His ministry at the end of the 69th week.

COVENANT SUSPENDED

In Dispensationalism, God suspended His covenant with Israel at the Cross and postponed the last seven years to just before Christ’s return.

However, God’s covenant with Israel continued for a few years after the Cross. This is indicated by the history recorded in the Book of Acts: During the first few years after the Cross, God gave His Holy Spirit only to Jews. That covenant came to an end about three or four years after the Cross when the Jews began to persecute these (Jewish) Christians, beginning with the stoning of Stephen (Acts 7; 8:1). Soon there-after, Gentiles also received the Holy Spirit.

– END OF SUMMARY –

DISPENSATIONAL VIEW

Daniel 9:25 reads:

“from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem …” (NASB).

Nehemiah, cupbearer to Artaxerxes IThe 70 weeks began with this decree. In Dispensationalism, this was Artaxerxes’ second decree in 445/4 BC (Neh 1-2). 

Daniel 9:25 continues:

“from the issuing of a decree …
until Messiah the Prince
there will be seven weeks
and sixty-two weeks.“

In Dispensationalism, this Messiah Prince (the “anointed” in the KJV) is Jesus Christ and (7+62) x 7 = 483 years after the decree brings us to the time of Christ. However, since 483 years from 445/4 BC takes us to about AD 40; about seven years after the time of the Cross, Dispensationalism proposes that the 483 years are “prophetic years” of 360 days each. This reduces the 483 years by 7 years to about 476 literal years. Adding 476 years to the time of Artaxerxes’ second decree brings us to the year in which Jesus was crucified, assuming that He died in AD 33 or AD 32. More specifically, Dispensationalism claims that it brings us to His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, a few days before His death.

Dispensationalism also assumes that God suspended His covenant with Israel at the Cross, to be resumed seven years before Christ returns. The following depiction explains the Dispensational schema:

Dispensationalism prophetic yearsOBJECTIONS

The following objections to this interpretation may be raised:

WHICH DECREE?

Artaxerxes’ second decree did not “restore” Jerusalem to Israel.

As stated (see – Which Decree?), the word translated as “restore” does not mean the same as “rebuild.” The Old Testament uses the word “restore” (shûb) for returning ownership to the previous owner (e.g., 1 Kings 20:34). In Daniel 9:25, it means more than merely allowing the Jews to live in the city. Since Jerusalem is the judicial capital of the nation, to restore the city means to return ownership to the Jews to serve as their capital from where they would govern themselves according to their own laws.

Artaxerxes’ first decree (458/7) already “restored” the city to the Israelites for it made the Mosaic law part of the Persian law and granted authority to the Jews to govern themselves on the basis of the law of God (Ezra 7:26). It provided for a measure of judicial autonomy unknown since the Babylonian desolation of Jerusalem and Judea about 130 years earlier.

Artaxerxes’ second decree did not “restore” Jerusalem because Israel already ‘owned’ the city in terms of Artaxerxes’ first decree and because the second decree only dealt with the physical construction of the city walls.  When Nehemiah asked for this decree, he did not even ask to rebuild the city. He only asked for permission to go to Jerusalem (Neh 2:5) and for wood for the walls (Neh 2:8). 

Dispensationalism claims that the second decree of Artaxerxes I for the first time authorized the rebuilding of Jerusalem, but that is not true. The previous decrees by Cyrus (538/7 BC), Darius I (520 BC), and Artaxerxes I (458/7 BC), by allowing the Jews to return to Judah, to rebuild the temple (Ezra 1:1-4; cf. Isa 45:1) and to govern themselves, implicitly allowed the Jews to rebuild their cities.

PROPHETIC YEARS

Artaxerxes’ second decree was too late to fit the time of Christ. If we add 7+62 weeks (483 years) to 445/4 BC, we come to about seven years after Christ’s death. As stated, Dispensationalism attempts to solve this by interpreting the 490 years as “prophetic years” of 360 days each rather than as literal years.

However, since the 490 years are an extension of God’s covenant with Israel, and since the covenant is based on Israel’s seven-year cycle, where every seventh year is a Sabbath, the “seventy weeks” are weeks of literal years. For a further discussion, see – Covenant Extended.

Artaxerxes’ first decree does fit the time of Christ. If we add 483 years to 458/7 BC, we come to Christ’s baptism in 26/27 AD, which may be regarded as the appearance of the Messiah and the beginning of His ministry.

This, then, is another indication that the decree of 445/4 is not the decree mentioned by Daniel 9:25, for it does not fit the time of Christ.

TRIUMPHAL ENTRY

As stated, in Dispensationalism, the “Messiah the Prince” is Jesus Christ and the end of the 483 years brings us to Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem; a few days before His crucifixion. However, the end of the 69th week, as described in verse 25, does NOT bring us to His death or to the end of His ministry. According to that verse, the Messiah will APPEAR and BEGIN His ministry at the end of the 69th week. It refers to His appearance; not His disappearance.

Jesus baptizedThe beginning of Jesus’ ministry was at His baptism, where He was “anointed” and introduced to Israel:

John the Baptist said, “so that He might be manifested to Israel, I came baptizing in water” (John 1:31).

“God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power” (Acts 10:38; cf. Mark 1:9-11; Psa 2:6, 7).

COVENANT SUSPENDED

As stated, in Dispensationalism, the first 483 years came to an end at Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem (a few days before His death) and, at that time, God suspended His covenant with Israel and postponed the last seven years to just before Christ’s return.

One objection to this is that there is no indication in the text that the 490 years will be interrupted for an indefinite period. Furthermore, as stated, the 490 years are an extension of God’s covenant with Israel:

“Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city” (Dan 9:24).

But, contrary to the Dispensational interpretation, God’s covenant with Israel continued for a few years after the Cross:

During the first few years after the Cross, God gave His Holy Spirit only to Jews and the gospel was preached only to Jews. The church consisted only of the “circumcised” (cf. Acts 10:45; i.e. Jews). See Jerusalem Phase of the Early Church.

About three or four years after the Cross, the Jews began to persecute these (Jewish) Christians, beginning with the stoning of Stephen (Acts 7; 8:1). See Judea and Samaria Phase of the Early Church.

Soon after this persecution began, Peter received a vision of unclean beasts (Acts 10:19-20). Up to that point in history, these Christian Jews regarded the uncircumcised as unclean and, as all Jews did, they did not associate with them. But, through this vision, God told Peter and the church not to regard Gentiles as unclean and to preach the gospel also to them (Acts 10:34-35). That was the end of God’s covenant with Israel – about three years after the Cross.

STEPHEN’S SPEECH

Stoning of StephenThis conclusion is supported by Stephen’s speech. Similar to Daniel’s prayer, Stephen’s speech was based on God’s covenant with Israel. While Daniel confessed the sins of his people and prayed for the mercy promised in the covenant, Stephen announced of God’s judgment in terms of the covenant. In other words, Stephen announced the end of the seventy weeks.

These three or four years after the Cross, therefore, were part of the 490 years. For a further discussion, see – The Stoning of Stephen.

DIFFERENCE IN DATES

The second decree of Artaxerxes I is dated by most dispensationalists to 445 BC, but by some to 444 BC:

Interpreters that use March 14, 445 BC as the date of the decree (e.g. Sir Robert Anderson) count 173880 days to end on 6th April, AD 32 as the date for Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

Interpreters that use March 5, 444 BC as the date of the decree (e.g. Hoehner) count 173880 days to March 30, AD 33 as the date for the triumphal entry, and the crucifixion six days later on April 5, AD 33.

Dispensationalism sometimes claims that its calculations fit the historical events precisely, but the difference in the dates places doubt over such claims.

DISPENSATIONAL VIEW OF DANIEL 9
– LIST OF ARTICLES –

      1. Overview of the Dispensational view
      2. When did the 490 and 483 years begin and end?
      3. Whose covenant confirmed; God’s or Satan’s?
      4. Who confirms that covenant; Christ or Antichrist?
      5. When are the last seven years?
      6. Inconsistencies in the Dispensational View
      7. When will Christ fulfill the goals in Daniel 9:24?
      8. Pre-Wrath Dispensationalism – the church will suffer.

OTHER AVAILABLE ARTICLES

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The Sabbath in the Ten Commandments is a Day of Rest.

Excerpt: The Sabbath is mentioned for the first time in Exodus 16, where the Lord used manna to teach Israel the weekly cycle. This was about a month before He gave them the Ten Commandments. The Sabbath was a day of rest. It was not a day for church meetings or for worship. The Sabbath became a symbol of liberation and restoration, a help to Israel to remember that the Lord is its God and a reliable and visible indicator of their faithfulness. For that reason, the Lord made His covenant promises and threats conditional on Sabbath faithfulness.

Summary

First mention – The word “Sabbath” appears for the first time in Exodus 16, where the Lord used manna to teach Israel about the Sabbath. That was about a month before He gave them the Ten Commandments.

Symbol of Liberation – The seventh day, seventh month, and seventh year all pointed to liberation:

The Lord commanded Israel to observe THE SEVENTH DAY as a Sabbath because He liberated them from Egypt.

THE SEVENTH MONTH of the year pointed to the great end-time judgment day and liberation of the world from sin.

In THE SEVENTH YEAR of the seven-year-cycle slaves were set free and debts were to be canceled.

Day of Rest – God commanded Israel to sabbath (rest) on the seventh day, and not to do any work. He also specifically ordered them to allow their children, servants, slaves, and even their cattle to rest. This included foreigners. The Old Testament Sabbath was not proclaimed as a day for church meetings or as a day to worship the Lord; it was simply a day of rest. It was a day when everybody and everything in the entire community rests!

Help Israel remember – The Lord elevated the Sabbath above other commandments to serve as a sign “that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you”. The Sabbath was to help Israel to remember that the Lord is their God and that He makes them holy. The surrounding nations were idol worshipers. The Sabbath was a token of Israel’s separation from idolatry and connection with the true God.  No other institution which was committed to the Jews tended so fully to distinguish them from surrounding nations.

Test of Obedience – Even when the Sabbath was first introduced, it was given as a test “whether or not they will walk in My instruction”.

Throughout Israel’s history, the Lord elevated the Sabbath above other commandments as a reliable and visible indicator of their faithfulness to His covenant and statutes in general. Profaning the Sabbath was a synonym for rebellion, doing evil and rejecting His ordinances. Keeping His Sabbaths was a synonym for choosing what pleases Him; to love the name of the LORD.

Being a reliable test of obedience, the Lord elevated the Sabbath above other commandments by making His covenant promises and threats conditional on Sabbath faithfulness. Israel’s exile to Babylon is directly linked to Israel’s failure to keep the Sabbath and the Sabbath years.

Circumcision could not be a test of obedience because a man does not become uncircumcised when he departs from the LORD, but the Sabbath was a visible manifestation of faith that cannot be seen. A person or nation that does not trust the LORD will soon disregard His Sabbath.

The First Sabbath Teaching

The first time that the name “Sabbath” appears in the Bible is in Exodus 16:23. This was about a month or two after Israel departed from Israel (Exo 16:1), and their food was running out (Exo 16:3). The LORD then gave them that super-food which they called manna. But the Lord used the manna to teach the Sabbath principle to Israel by giving them manna for the first six days of the week, with a double portion on the sixth day, but none on the seventh day. On other days the manna that was left over from the previous day “bred worms and became foul”, but not on the seventh day (Exo 16:24). About a month later (Compare Exo 19:1 to 16:1) the LORD gave them the Ten Commandments, including the commandment to “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exo 20:8).

A Symbol of Liberation

Deliverance from Egypt – The Ten Commandments in the book of Exodus was received a couple of months after God rescued Israel from Egypt. In it, a reason is given for the requirement to observe the seventh day as a Sabbath, namely that the Creator rested on the seventh day. A reason was necessary because the specialness of the seventh day is not obvious. In Deuteronomy, the Ten Commandments are repeated. This was 40 years later, just before Israel entered into the Promised Land. Here a different reason is given for the Sabbath requirement, namely that God delivered Israel from Egypt (Deut 5:15). By Linking the Sabbath to deliverance from Egypt, the Sabbath was made a token of liberation.

Sabbath years – In the Jewish system the seven-day cycle, with the last day being a Sabbath, was also developed into a seven-year cycle, with the last year being a Sabbath for the land. In that Sabbath year, the oppressed of the Hebrew society was liberated; slaves were to be set free (Exo 21:2-6; Deut 15:12-18) and debts owed by fellow citizens were to be canceled (Deut 15:1-6; GNB).

Jubilee year – After every seven Sabbath years—every 50th year—followed the Jubilee year. During this year, which was also a Sabbath year, property that was sold during the preceding 50 years was restored to the original owner (Lev 25:8-17, 23-55; 27:16-25; Num 36:4). The liberation motif of the seventh year confirms the seventh day as a token of liberation.

The seventh month – Just like Israel had a seven-day cycle and a seven-year cycle, with the seventh in each case a token of liberation, the seventh month of the year also pointed to liberation:

The most important day of the year was the Day of Atonement, on the tenth day of the seventh month (Lev 23:27), when atonement was made for the holy sanctuary, for the tent of meeting, for the altar, for the priests and for all the people (Lev 16:33-34). This day prefigured the great end-of-time Judgment.

The seventh month commenced with the feast of trumpets (Lev 23:24-25, 28, 30-32), warning of the coming Day of Judgment. This feast prefigured the end-time warnings which God will give to the world prior to the end time Judgment.

The Day of Atonement was followed by the feast of booths (Lev 23:34), when the entire nation lived in booths made of branches for seven days (Lev 23:40-42) to commemorate the booths (shelters) in which Israel lived when the LORD brought them out of the land of Egypt (Lev 23:43). The Feast of Booths also prefigured God’s people after they have been delivered from the bondage of sin following the end-time judgment day. Through His judgment, the LORD will deliver the earth and return everything to its proper state so that God’s love alone reigns in everything and everybody.

Thus the seventh day, seventh month, and seventh year were all linked to liberation, being symbols of the end-time liberation of the world from the bondage of sin. The seventh month was the last month of the religious year, just as the Sabbath was the last day of the week and the Sabbath year the last year of the cycle of seven years.

Letter to the Hebrews – The New Testament letter that was specifically addressed to the Jewish Christians (the book of Hebrews) invites them to enter into the “Sabbath rest” (Heb 4:9) by believing (Heb 4:3), by obeying (Heb 4:6, 11) and by accepting by “faith” God’s “good news” (Heb 4:1-2). Although this is in the New Testament, this reflects the Old Testament view of the Sabbath as a token of salvation and redemption.

A Day of Rest

The fourth commandment required Israelites to rest and to allow all people and even animals, which are under their control, also to rest; to relieve them from their burdens.

“but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you” (Exo 20:10).

In the various versions of the Sabbath commandment the ones particularly singled out, to be allowed rest, are:

    • the manservant, the maidservant and the son of the bondmaid;
    • the cattle and
    • the foreigner and the son of the foreigner;
    • the son of the female slave

For example:

Six days you are to do your work, but on the seventh day you shall cease from labor so that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your female slave, as well as your stranger, may refresh themselves. (Exo 23:12; Cf. also Exo 20:10; Deut 5:14)

Preachers are fond of using the convocation texts to motivate people to go to church, assuming that the phrase “holy convocation” implies a public meeting, for instance:

“The seventh day there is a sabbath of complete rest, a holy convocation” (Lev 23:3).

But the Old Testament Sabbath was proclaimed as a day to rest; not a day for meetings. Note that the entire day is “a holy convocation”. The Hebrew word translated “convocation” simply refers to something that is called out. This can be a meeting or a day or many other things.

Preachers also often assume that the Sabbath is a day to spend with the Lord or in religious activities. That may have been the original intention of the seventh day, and it may be how Christ explained it, but that was not how the law was given to Israel through Moses. In the Law of Moses, it is simply a day of rest. We find the following Sabbath commands in the Old Testament, and they only refer to work and rest:

Exo 20:10 “but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you”.

Exo 31:14 “Therefore you are to observe the sabbath, for it is holy to you. … whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people”.

Exo 35:2 “For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day you shall have a holy day, a sabbath of complete rest to the LORD; whoever does any work on it shall be put to death”.

Exo 35:3 “You shall not kindle a fire in any of your dwellings on the sabbath day.”

Deut 5:14 “but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant or your ox or your donkey or any of your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you, so that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you”.

Lev 16:31 “It is to be a sabbath of solemn rest for you, that you may humble your souls; it is a permanent statute”.

Lev 23:3 “For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there is a sabbath of complete rest, a holy convocation. You shall not do any work; it is a sabbath to the LORD in all your dwellings.”

Isaiah 58 contains a different formulation of the Sabbath commandment. Instead of work, it refers to “doing your own pleasure” and “your own ways” and “speaking your own word”. Instead of rest, it refers to calling the sabbath a delight and honorable:

Isa 58:13 “If because of the sabbath, you turn your foot From doing your own pleasure on My holy day, And call the sabbath a delight, the holy day of the LORD honorable, And honor it, desisting from your own ways, From seeking your own pleasure And speaking your own word, 14 Then you will take delight in the LORD, And I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; And I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

Isaiah 58 is often used when preaching about the Sabbath, but these beautiful verses are frequently used to put a too-strict definition on the Old Testament Sabbath; even forbidding joyous activities. These verses should not be interpreted contrary to the main body of the Sabbath commandments. The Sabbath was given as a day of rest to people that had to work hard from early morning to late evening, from a very young age, with no retirement schemes or medical aid. The Sabbath was intended for their benefit. To read Isaiah 58 as forbidding pleasurable activities would be inconsistent with the purpose of the Sabbath.

Preachers also often remark that the last part of Isaiah, from chapter 56 onwards, is a prophecy of the church age.  It is proposed here that the description of the Sabbath in Isaiah 58 should be read in the New Testament context, as taught by Christ.  He explained the Sabbath different from the Old Testament. He taught that the Sabbath was “made for man”, a day to show kindness to people in need and a day to do the work of the Lord. (See What Jesus taught may and must be done on the Sabbath.)

The Sign of the Covenant

The Sabbath was elevated above other commandments to serve as a sign for Israel:

“Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you . . . that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you” (Exo 31:13).

Many centuries later God reminded the Jews in Babylonian captivity of what He had done for their ancestors:

“I gave them My sabbaths to be a sign between Me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD who sanctifies them“ (Ezek 20:12).

“Sanctify My sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the LORD your God“ (Ezek 20:20).

It was not a sign to other people: Like a ring on Israel’s finger, the Sabbath was to help Israel to “know” that the LORD is their God. This implies that no other nation observed the Sabbath. No other institution which was committed to the Jews tended so fully to distinguish them from surrounding nations. It was to be a token of their separation from the idolatry of the surrounding nations, and their connection with the true God.

If one accepts that the seven-day cycle and the specialness of the seventh day were established at creation, why did the nations in the time of Moses not keep the Sabbath? One possibility is that the original Sabbath was forgotten by the world at large, and re-issued for Israel. Another is that the seventh day never before was not a day of mandatory rest, but set apart to be a blessing to mankind in another way.

A Test of Obedience

But the Sabbath was also a sign in another sense. It was a reliable and visible marker or measure of Israel’s faithfulness. Even when the Sabbath was first introduced, it was given as a test:

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether or not they will walk in My instruction. (Exo 16:4)

On the seventh day some of the people went out to gather, but they found none. Then the LORD said to Moses:

“How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My instructions? (Exo 16:28)

Notice that they failed to keep the Sabbath specifically, but that the Lord concluded that they refused to keep His commandments in general. This continued throughout Israel’s history.  Notice in the following that the Lord continued to single out Sabbath observance as an indication of faithfulness to His covenant and statutes:

How blessed is the man who … keeps from profaning the sabbath, And keeps his hand from doing any evil.” … To the eunuchs who keep My sabbaths, And choose what pleases Me, And hold fast My covenant, … I will give … a name better than that of sons and daughters … Also the foreigners who … love the name of the LORD … every one who keeps from profaning the sabbath And holds fast My covenant; (Isa 56:2-6)

… the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness. They did not walk in My statutes … and My sabbaths they greatly profaned. … they rejected My ordinances … they even profaned My Sabbaths … (Ezek 20:12-24)

… the children rebelled against Me; they did not walk in My statutes … they profaned My sabbaths … and their eyes were on the idols of their fathers. (Ezek 20:12-24)

“Then You (God) came down on Mount Sinai, And spoke with them from heaven; You gave them just ordinances and true laws, Good statutes and commandments. So You made known to them Your holy sabbath, And laid down for them commandments, statutes and law, Through Your servant Moses. (Neh 9:13-14)

Being a reliable marker or measure or test of obedience, the Lord elevated the Sabbath above other commandments by making His promises conditional on Sabbath faithfulness:

If … you turn your foot From doing your own pleasure on My holy day, And call the sabbath a delight, the holy day of the LORD honorable, And honor it, desisting from your own ways, From seeking your own pleasure And speaking your own word, Then you will take delight in the LORD, And I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; And I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father … (Isa 58:13-14)

Before the LORD exiled Israel to Babylon Jeremiah warned:

“if you … keep the sabbath day holy … then … this city will be inhabited forever. … But if you do not listen to Me to keep the sabbath day holy … then I will kindle a fire in its gates and it will devour the palaces of Jerusalem and not be quenched.” (Jer 17:21-27)

Israel failed the Sabbath test of obedience. After the exile, Nehemiah confirmed that the Lord exiled Israel to Babylon because they profaned the Sabbath (Neh 13:17-18)

Circumcision never became a test of true obedience because circumcision could not measure faithfulness. Once circumcised, a man does not become uncircumcised when he departs from the LORD. But the Sabbath was a true test of faith and obedience. It is a visible manifestation of a Jew’s invisible faith. A Jew that does not trust the LORD will very soon disregard the Sabbath. It is also a reliable and visible marker of the nation’s faith. It is for that reason that the Sabbath became a synonym for His laws and statutes.

Other Articles

The Sabbath

In the Old Testament

– Blessed and Sanctified at Creation
– The Evolution theory makes the Bible null and void.
– The Sabbath before the time of Moses
– In the Ten Commandments
– In the Traditions of the Elders

Christ’s Sabbath Healing

– A demon-possessed man and Simon’s mother-in-law
– The man with the withered hand
    (The rulers wanted Jesus to heal on the sabbath.)
– The crippled woman
– The paralytic man at Bethesda
– The man that was born blind 

Christ’s Teachings

– The Sabbath was made for man.
    (The disciples picked grain on the Sabbath.)
– Jesus deliberately contravened the Sabbath.
– The Real Reason they killed Jesus
– His miracles gave Him the opportunity to teach.
– What did Jesus teach about the Sabbath?
– Jesus taught a different Sabbath.
– Jesus replaced the Law of Moses with the Law of Christ.

In the New Testament

– The Sabbath is not repeated in the New Testament.
– Romans 14:5-6 – Each must be fully convinced in his own mind.

Other Articles

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