His challenge reminds me of what Jesus said:
This brother is so fanatically blinded without even knowing what he is doing. He looks at the speck of sawdust in my eye but he pays no attention to the plank (troso) in his eye. He breaks the 9th commandment in the first place, without him noticing it due to his blindness.
Here is the 9th commandment:
This the problem of some SDAs. They always look at the mistakes of others without the second thought that maybe their mistake is much bigger than them. We call it sometimes a “double standard.” James makes this point in James 2:10, 11:
“For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. For he who said, “You shall not commit adultery,” also said, “You shall not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.” James 2:10-11 (NIV)
THE BLUNDERS
BLUNDER#1: He said, “can Mr. OBIDOS publicly correct HIS COLLEAGUE for this or will he remain silent?” How do you know that Pastor Bong Saquing of CCF is my colleague? He may not even know that I’m existing. I’m not a member of CCF and this lie keeps on spreading among some of the SDA gossipers anywhere.
BLUNDER#2: I don’t see anything wrong with what Pastor Bong is saying. I watched the video myself. Pastor Bong only emphasized the principle of the sabbath in its physical aspect of rest as told in Exodus 20:9-10. His focus is not on where the exactness of the day itself will fall within the week but the principle of rest.
“Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies perished in the wilderness? And to whom did God swear that THEY WOULD NEVER ENTER HIS REST if not to those who disobeyed? So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.” Hebrews 3:16-19 (NIV)
Who are these people whom Moses led out of Egypt who heard and rebelled so they didn’t enter God’s rest? Gentiles? Atheists? Skeptics? Nope! They are the Israelites who had, “been entrusted with the very words of God”(Romans 3:2) and “theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law” (Romans 9:4) but how come, in spite of keeping the seventh-day Sabbath, they still “would never enter his rest”? This supports the fact that the exactness of the day does not guarantee that you are right with God. It gives us a clear distinction between “the seventh-day rest” and “God’s rest.” According to the book of Hebrews, “God’s rest” is not identical to the Jewish Sabbath, which limits it only to the day of the calendar week, but the text says “God AGAIN set a certain day.”
“God again set a certain day, calling it “Today.” This he did when a long time later he spoke through David, as in the passage already quoted: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” Hebrews 4:7 (NIV)
Why is there a need for God to SET a certain day AGAIN if it is the same as the literal seventh-day?
And setting a “certain day” means that the previous day, i.e., the literal seventh-day Sabbath is not relevant to the new covenant Christians anymore! Otherwise, there is no need for God to set again “a certain day” to replace the literal seventh day. That’s the point in v. 8, “For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about ANOTHER DAY” (Hebrews 4:8) Therefore, if it is “another day” it is not talking about the literal seventh day anymore!
THE “ANOTHER DAY” THAT REMAINS
Hebrews 4:9 revealed what it means by a “certain day” or “another day.”
“There remains, then, a SABBATH-REST for the people of God.” Hebrews 4:9 (NIV)
The author of Hebrews explained that “another day” in v. 8 is called a sabbatismos in Greek (v.9). The usual term in Greek that usually refers to the weekly seventh-day Sabbath is sabbaton, NOT sabbatismos. It is different from the literal Jewish seventh day, “For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about ANOTHER DAY”(v.8). The SDA Bible Commentary admits,
“To declare that what remains for “the people of God” is the weekly Sabbath is to declare that what Joshua failed to lead Israel into was the weekly Sabbath.”
[The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Vol. 7, p. 423]
Sunday is not the proper replacement of the seventh-day Sabbath as far as the Bible is concerned!
So if the Sabbath that remains is not the weekly Sabbath, what kind of day it is then? Sunday? Nope, Sunday is not the proper replacement of the seventh-day Sabbath as far as the Bible is concerned. The “Another day” here is a figurative day that refers to the “rest of grace” for the salvation of the soul.
The SDA Bible commentary notes,
“The rest here spoken of is THE REST OF GRACE” (EGW Supplementary Material on Heb. 4:9; cf. GC 253). It is “the true rest of faith” (MB 1). We enter into God’s “rest” when we “consider” JESUS (ch. 3:1) AND LISTEN TO HIS VOICE (chs. 3:7, 15; 4:7), when we exercise faith in Him (ch. 4:2, 3), when we cease from our own efforts to earn salvation (v. 10), when we “hold fast our profession” (v. 14), and when we draw near to the throne of grace (v. 16).” [The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary Vol. 7, p. 423]
Thus, from the testimony of the Scriptures, particularly, the book of Hebrews and from the SDA owned Bible Commentary, the fact is clear that the literal seventh-day Sabbath has no bearing anymore to the Christian church. The Christian sabbath is not a once a week experience but every day. The book Sabbath in Christ authored by a former SDA Pastor Dale Ratzlaff explained it well,
“The Old covenant the “rest” was experienced once each seventh day. The writer of Hebrews stresses the word “today” on several occasions. In the new covenant, one can enter into God’s rest “today.” He does not have to wait until the end of the week. In Hebrews 13 we have a beautiful definition of new covenant worship: Through Him [Jesus] then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. And do not neglect doing good and sharing; for with such sacrifices God is pleased (Heb. 13: 15,16). The new covenant believer is to rejoice in God’s rest continually.” [D. Ratzlaff, Sabbath in Christ, p. 288]
CONCLUSION
The challenge given by an assuming SDA defender to me was answered. There is nothing wrong with the CCF’s understanding of Exodus 20:9-10. The problem is with this SDA critic.
First, he is lying for assuming that I’m officially a member of the Christ Commission Fellowship(CCF). Second, he rejects the true Sabbatismos that remains for the new covenant Christians, which is, the rest of grace in Christ that can be received by anyone and at any day of the week by believing (Heb. 4:3). This rest of grace is offered freely even today by Christ to you:
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV)
Jesus is the true rest–the rest which remains for the one who believes! Accept Him as your rest today!
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