Jesus Sabbath S Resurrection and Seventh-Day Adventism

Jesus’ Sabbath’s Resurrection and Seventh-day Adventism

Question
"Most other Sabbath keepers or Sabbatarians such as Church of God Seventh Day
and Seventh Day Baptist teach a Wednesday (high Sabbath) crucifixion and Sabbath
evening resurrection (literal 3 days and 3 nights in grave). Is your belief in a
Friday crucifixion and Sunday resurrection unchanged because SDAs believe it
conflicts with the writings of Ellen G. White? I've also noticed that many, not
all, Sunday keeping denominations believe the "Lord's Day" in Revelation 1:10 to
be Sunday and SDAs believe it is Saturday. But again, most other Sabbatarians
believe the term "Lord's Day" in Revelation 1:10 is referring to the Great Day
of the LORD or The Day of the LORD referenced throughout the Bible's old and new
testaments and especially the book of Joel, which is actually an event of God's
wrath in the last days and not pertaining to any day of the week. Could SDAs
possibly be misunderstanding these 2 points of doctrine and has there been a
reconsideration in the churche's position or doctrine over the years?"
Answerby Nabors Charlotte

What is the LORD’s Day as mentioned in Revelation 1:10? Although this has been applied by the Church Fathers to represent Sunday from the latter part of the 2nd century , there is no conclusive evidence that this meaning applies to what John was writing around 90-94 a.d. John is writing about a past/present experience by using the verb, “was”. “I was in the Spirit on the LORD’s Day. It is a present tense usage. It is only used in this context one time in the New Testament. However, there are other references that indicate John was speaking about receiving these visions on the Sabbath, the 7th day of the week. Beginning with Geneses 2:3 “Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.” God is here declaring a special day that is not a part of the work of creating but of a crowning act, of a special day that distinguishes it from the other six days. God blessed the seventh day, He sanctified it, and made it holy as a memorial of His creative work and ownership.
In Exodus 20:11 He plainly outlines Genesis 2:3 by reinforcing “REMEMBER to keep it holy, don’t work on the seventh day but rest on this day. He declared this to be the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In Revelation 14:6 the first angel makes reference to this particular commandment.
Isaiah 58:13 God states plainly that the Sabbath is MY holy day and we are to call the holy day of the LORD honorable
Mark 2:28 Jesus declares Himself to be the LORD of the Sabbath. In the same sense that He is LORD of men, He was also LORD over that which was made for man, the Sabbath. Thus, when the phrase “LORD’s Day” is interpreted in accordance with evidence prior to and contemporary with John’s time, it appears that there is only one day to which it can refer, and that is the seventh-day Sabbath SDA Bible Commentary, Vol. 7, p. 736
When was Christ crucified? The following are the texts that describe which day Christ was nailed to the cross and died.
Mat 27:62 Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate 4091,
Mar 15:42 And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath 4315,
Luk 23:54 And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on..
Jhn 19:14 And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King 935!
Jhn 19:31 The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought 2065 Pilate that their legs might be broken, and [that] they might be taken away.
Jhn 19:42 There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews preparation [day]; for 3754 the sepulchre was nigh at hand.
Mark, Luke and John wouldn’t be lying to us. You will notice that in John 19:31, the “high-day” was on the seventh day Sabbath – not on a Wednesday.
God instructed us about Sabbath time being from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday. In Genesis 1, we find the created time from evening to evening. Man designed midnight to midnight but the scriptures are very clear about a 24 hour period from evening to evening. Lev 23:32 tells us “from even to even shall ye celebrate your Sabbaths. That is why it was so important that the men on the cross have their legs broken so as to hurry their death. With the legs broken, they body would sag and they would suffocate due to compression of the lungs. Jesus had already surrendered His life and so His legs were not broken, which was a fulfilment of an ancient prophecy that none of His bones would be broken.
Resurrection: Matt 28:1 Now after the Sabbath as the first day of the week began to dawn…
Mark 16:1,2 Now when the Sabbath was past,…(2)Very early in the morning on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen…
Luke24:1 Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning…But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb…and did not find the body of the LORD Jesus…
John 20:1 Now on the first day of the week…while it was still dark and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb (the tomb was empty).
The whole ordeal began on Thursday night after the last supper with His disciples.and ended with the resurrection on Sunday morning before dawn. The betrayal and arrest in Gethsemane was on Thursday night and trials between the religious leadership and Roman governor continued all during that time so that by 9am Friday morning, Jesus was being nailed to the cross and about 3 p.m. he died. Was taken down from the cross before sundown on Friday and in the grave but no time to embalm Him because the sun was about to set. Jesus was in the grave from sundown Friday to early Sunday morning when He arose to continue working for our salvation. He was in the “valley of the shadow of death for three nights and three days. Jesus had no sleep, no rest from Thursday night until He surrendered His life on Friday just before sundown. He was in the clutches of Satan for three days and three nights just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale for three days and three nights. Christ was captured on Thursday night and was released on Sunday morning. There isn’t any reference in prophecy indicating that Christ was physically dead and in a tomb for three days and three nights. That’s an assumption but is not biblically correct. I hope this explanation helps clarify this for you. Again, check with the other websites that I gave you at the beginning to see if what I have said is correct.
E. G. White comments: Our church’s doctrines are not based on nor did they come from the writings of Sr. White but on biblical truth. She was very clear that her writings were not to take the place of scripture nor were they to be held equal to the scriptures. She always referred to her ministry as a “lesser light” pointing to the greater Light of the World. She also was very clear that her writings were never to be made a test of fellowship nor were we to prove our doctrines by using her writings. She always said to compare scripture with scripture, line upon line, here a little and there a little, precept upon precept. Isaiah.28:10,13; 29:13 Test each idea or thought with the scriptures and let the scriptures speak and explain itself. We must be able to stand on the Word of God to defend our faith. We were to defend our doctrines with scriptures only. Those who try to use her writings to defend our doctrines are misusing and abusing her work causing much confusion for those who are searching for and have a love of the truth. She also said that those who are spiritually weak will misuse her words to support their pet causes. There were several Advent leaders that were given visions and understanding of the teachings of our church regarding the judgment message, the importance of the sanctuary system to the plan of salvation.

Jesus’ Sabbath’s Resurrection and Seventh-day Adventism

Nabors Charlotte

answered by Gerhard Ebersöhn

Charlotte Nabors:

“What is the LORD’s Day as mentioned in Revelation 1:10? Although this has been applied by the Church Fathers to represent Sunday from the latter part of the 2nd century , there is no conclusive evidence that this meaning applies to what John was writing around 90-94 a.d. John is writing about a past/present experience by using the verb, “was”. “I was in the Spirit on the LORD’s Day. It is a present tense usage. It is only used in this context one time in the New Testament. However, there are other references that indicate John was speaking about receiving these visions on the Sabbath, the 7th day of the week. Beginning with Geneses 2:3 “Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.” God is here declaring a special day that is not a part of the work of creating but of a crowning act, of a special day that distinguishes it from the other six days. God blessed the seventh day, He sanctified it, and made it holy as a memorial of His creative work and ownership.”

GE:

Re: “God is here declaring a special day that is not a part of the work of creating but of a crowning act, of a special day that distinguishes it from the other six days. God blessed the seventh day, He sanctified it, and made it holy as a memorial of His creative work and ownership.”

I have never read that God blessed “the Sabbath, the 7th day of the week”, that He sanctified it, and made it holy, “as a memorial of His creative work and ownership”. On the contrary, as CN has said, “God is here declaring a special day that is not a part of the work of creating but of a crowning act”, Therefore it is not “a special day that distinguishes it[self] from the other six days”, nor, is it “the work of creating”, “that distinguishes it[this “special day”] from the other six days”; it is God’s “crowning act”, “that is not a part of the work of creating”, “that distinguishes it[this “special day”] from the other six days”.

It is a pity CN lost the reality she momentarily have hit upon, but let go of because of her SDA-doctrinal predisposition the Sabbath is “a memorial of (God’s) creative work and ownership” and not of God’s “crowning act”, “that is not a part of the work of creating”.

The true question is: Of which, and of what “crowning act” of God, is the Sabbath Day – the Seventh Day – “a memorial of”? Is it a “memorial” of the “creative work” of God, or of God’s “crowning act” of “ownership”?

This question should be taken further to the question of what, God’s “crowning act” of “ownership” actually and in the last analysis, is? Is it God’s “work of creating”? Obviously, no. Is God’s “crowning act” of “ownership” the Sabbath as such? No! Or does Charlotte Nabors think it is?

Then what is, God’s “crowning act” of “ownership”? It is written – very simply – this, “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; and God blessed the Seventh Day and sanctified it: BECAUSE THAT IN IT HE HAD RESTED FROM ALL HIS WORKS which He had made.” It is not what Charlotte Nabors has stated as were it written, “God blessed the seventh day, He sanctified it, and made it holy as a memorial of His creative work and ownership.” Not at all. It was not because of “His creative work”, but “Because that in it (God) had RESTED”.

Then, this question should again be taken further, and it should be asked, what is God’s Rest, or wherein does God – or had He – rested? And again it is obvious, God did not rest in or by “His creative work”, but in and by having “ended”, and in and by having “rested” and in and by having “blessed and sanctified the Seventh Day”.

Should this question stop here? Or should it be taken even further, so that it must be asked, Did God rest in the Seventh Day; or, was, the Seventh Day God’s Rest? Obviously no, once again! No, God rested not in “His creative work” or inHis “work of creating” – of which the Seventh Day was part. God rested not in “His creative work” or in His “work of creating” not only because it is a contradiction in terms, but absolutely because God found his Rest in, and founded his Rest upon, Jesus Christ and the finishing of all his works in and through Jesus Christ.

Still the question has not reached fullness, not until it is answered through “the exceeding greatness of God’s power to us-ward who believe according to the working of his mighty power which He wrought in Christ WHEN HE RAISED HIM FROM THE DEAD.” Only now can it truly be said, “And God from all his works, rested”, Hb4:3-4.

Of course Seventh-day Adventism will for ever stubbornly refuse this end and purpose according to God’s Eternal Covenantal Council for having “made the Sabbath”.

CN:

“In Exodus 20:11 He plainly outlines Genesis 2:3 by reinforcing “REMEMBER to keep it holy, don’t work on the seventh day but rest on this day. He declared this to be the Sabbath of the LORD your God.”

GE:

Yes, “In Exodus 20.... He plainly outlines Genesis 2....”

First, Is it therefore deliberately that Charlotte Nabors refrains from mentioning also Deuteronomy 5? What happened to “Genesis 2:3” and ‘outlines’, in Deuteronomy 5? Plainly FORGOTTEN? Or Divinely intended to be left behind forever?

Next, Why does Seventh-day Adventism carefully omit to point to the fact the ‘creation-motive’ is omitted in the finally archaized Commandments? Because they hate the idea of the creation-motive having been replaced by the SALVATION-MOTIVE, and the SALVATION-MOTIVE in the Fourth Commandment having so been preserved for posterity and not the ‘creation-motive’!

CN:

“In Revelation 14:6 the first angel makes reference to this particular commandment.”

GE:

Maybe so. Maybe not. But what is far more important in Revelation 14, is the redemption-thread running throughout; redemption through the Lamb so prominently featuring in that chapter. I have never seen a Seventh-day Adventist lifting out that aspect. Why, is evident, because they cannot stomach the thought the Resurrection and finished atonement and Sabbath’s-fullness married by Jesus Christ.

CN:

“Isaiah 58:13 God states plainly that the Sabbath is MY holy day and we are to call the holy day of the LORD honorable”

GE:

“.... the holy day of the LORD HONOURABLE ....”

No Seventh-day Adventist yet has seen Christ in Isaiah 58. They have yet to see the Holy Day of the Lord in it, Holy Day of and for its Lord and his Lordship– Lord the Restorer of paths to dwell in and Lord the Repairer of the breach caused by sin. Lord, through resurrection from the dead, all through the chapter. See it any place, “Then shall thy light break forth .... Thy light shall rise .... Thou shalt be like a spring of water .... Thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations ....” anywhere, in every word and phrase. Chapter 58 sings the praises of the Most Holy Place verily as sings the 57th chapter the praises of the Lord Jesus Christ! Chapter 58 as much as chapter 53, speaks of Jesus Christ, and speaking of Jesus Christ, it speaks of the Sabbath’s Holy Day of the Lord Triumphator through resurrection from the dead.